Alternate Universe
by Kessafan
Summary: She's a badass guardian, he's a runaway with a bad attitude, both with reputations that preceed them. What happens when they come together? Canon pairs and VA world... with a twist! A few Rated M parts...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Everyone.... Well here's a new story that came to me this morning... I think it's only going to be a chapter or two, but let me know if it's something that you would like me to continue... Enjoy...**

**Chapter One...**

I'd spent my whole life here; at St Vladimir's academy, first as a student, then after graduation, Lissa and I were asked to teach here for a few years. A few new students had arrived in our senior year from all over the world after hearing about Lissa and her 'spirit abilities'. There were now twelve spirit users on campus, not including Lissa and Adrian.

"Guardian Hathaway." Kirova nodded to me in greeting. We had quite a 'prickly' relationship with each other. I nodded back in return.

"Headmistress, Alberta said that you needed to see me."

"Yes, I have an assignment for you." She handed me a folder and I opened it to find a photo and a dossier of a male Dhampir and a male Royal Moroi. I looked up at her confused. "We've finally found them and I need you to lead a recovery team and bring them back." I'd heard about these guys, the Dhampir was known for his hot temper as was the Moroi, a well suited pair apparently.

"Why here, weren't they from up north?" I asked.

"Yes, but they thought that considering we are a little more remote than most academies, they would be better to come here. You know that the Dhampir is going to give you a run for your money, so fifteen guardians have been allocated to go with you, they will be arriving throughout the night, ready to leave in the morning. I'll need you to go over the plan with them all as they get here, so I'll send them to you in the conference room." She gave me a nod and went back to her paperwork, telling me that the conversation was now over. I turned around and walked out. Well, if I'm going to be working on a recovery plan then I needed to get to know my prey. I walked up to my room and sat at my desk, spreading out the papers in front of me.

"You don't look like too much trouble." I said to the photo of the Dhampir, personally I thought fifteen guardians was a little bit of overkill, but they'd eluded capture so far so I guess it's better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them. He had not long turned eighteen but you would never know it by his photo. It had been taken in secret only last week after the two runaways had finally been found. They'd been living in secret amongst the humans for nearly two years now, amazing odds really that neither of them had been killed yet. After a few hours of 'getting to know' them and formulating a plan, I received a call telling me that the first of the guardians had arrived. I walked down to the conference room ready to start the long drawn out process of implementing a capture.

Twenty-four hours later I stood outside a small apartment block, hidden in the shadows of a neighbourhood wasn't all that good, but it could have been a lot worse I suppose. I'd posted guardians on all the roads, alleyways and escape routes that we could find. I was about to go up to their apartment when I saw someone walk past the window. They're in....at least I wouldn't have to go searching the streets for them. I could hear giggling. "Hold tight, they have humans inside." I could hear the groans from the others, we all knew what that meant.

It was only about an hour later when two human girls walked out of the building, still giggling but walking a little....strangely. As they walked past me, I could see bite marks on their necks. I looked back up to the window and saw him. I couldn't believe he was only eighteen; he could easily pass for early twenties....like me. I mentally slapped myself as I thought about how gorgeous he was in real life. He stopped walking and looked out of the window, I could see him searching so I stood stock still, almost holding my breath. Then he looked directly to where I was standing.... _Shit!_ I thought to myself.... I slowly backed off, retreating further into the shadows... "Get ready, I think he spotted me." I called through the radio. Sure enough, within two minutes they were walking out of the building holding duffle bags. They were going to run. "Teams four and five... move forward, I'm going back. They're heading somewhere with thought, maybe a car.... Teams two and three.... close in." I grabbed the three guardians that were with me and we ran back further up the road...

"There," I said to the others. "That will be where they're running to." I saw a beat up mustang up ahead... that would be my choice if I was still a teenager... Two went to the left of the street and hid where they could, Guardian Butler and I went to the right; next to the car. As they got closer I walked out from my hiding spot... _Shit he's tall...and really, really hot! _I thought to myself. They stopped suddenly and in an instant the Moroi was pulled behind the massive Dhampir standing in front of me.

"Don't start anything you can't finish Guardian." He growled at me. I almost let a snort of laughter escape, but I had a few years of experience at keeping the mask on.

"Do you think I'm the only one?" I asked him. His eyes flickered to my left and right as the others walked out behind me. He turned his head to the side, obviously hearing the other teams coming up from the rear, effectively closing the net. I could see he was about to fight, I would have had I been in the same position... "I wouldn't if I were you." I said to him, but.... when did that ever stop anyone. He tried to kick out, but being faster and shorter, I ducked down under his now outstretched leg and slammed his other leg out from underneath him. He fell backwards, colliding with the Moroi, but before he fell the other guardians took a hold of him. The man mountain though...he hit the deck with an audible thump. "Wanna go again, or do you want everyone to see you beat up by a girl?" The glare I got was almost amusing, but I wasn't going to push the issue. "One way or another, this Moroi is coming back with us; you obviously like him enough to have guarded him for so long, so I'm gathering that you'd rather stay together now. You can either come of your own free will.....or not." I kept my eyes on his the whole time as he sat on the pavement glaring at me.

"Fine." He said. I smiled and nodded to him but still not taking my eyes off him I reached up and touched my ear piece.

"Move in and secure." I said. He glanced around at the eleven Dhampirs who were now walking towards us...

"All for me?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Bit of an overkill if you ask me, but that's what I was given." I said with a shrug of my shoulder. He wasn't happy but he stood up and went to walk with the Moroi, something that I wasn't letting happen.... "Mr Belikov," I called to him. "You're with me." He turned to glare at me again, coming to the conclusion that they were going to be split up.

"Where are you taking us?" he said through clenched teeth. Even angry he was stunning...and that accent. I was going to have to watch this one.

"St Vladimir's." I said and almost smiled again as his face dropped in shock.

We arrived back at the academy a few hours later. The plane trip was a little tense... Belikov was not happy about being separated from his Moroi, he had a strong desire to protect him and I realised that they were more than just a Royal Moroi and his Dhampir. They were friends, best friends. I walked into Kirova's office with the others following, even the other ten Guardians. Belikov may have only been a teenager, but he was big and he was built.... no-one took him for granted.

"Glad to see you all back in one piece Guardian Hathaway." Said Kirova. I heard him draw a breath as he sat beside me, obviously he'd heard about me.

"It all went according to plan headmistress." I said matter-of-factly.

"Mr Belikov, I don't know and frankly don't care why you took a Royal Moroi away from the safety of your previous academy," she said... which was answered with a snort of disgust from Belikov, "But I'm telling you now... it won't happen again. Mr Ozera," she said turning her attention to the Moroi sitting on my other side. "I'm sorry for what happened to your family, but that was no need to put yourself in more danger by running away... You will stay here and finish your education and when you graduate you can go wherever you want with your assigned guardians."

"What about Dimitri?" he asked.

"What about him?" she asked confused.

"He's my...guardian. He needs to finish too." Kirova looked to my right at a barely contained Dhampir and then back to Lord Ozera.

"Who told you he was your guardian Lord Ozera? After the stunt he pulled, he won't be guarding anyone anytime soon." I was confused... why on earth would they throw someone as big and strong and with so much potential as Belikov away, especially when Guardian numbers were so low...

"Headmistress," I said. "Do you not think that it would be more beneficial to keep Mr Belikov here where his skills could be better put to use? Numbers are..."

"I don't want a trouble maker like him around Guardian Hathaway." She interrupted; I was starting to get angry with her now. I'd been her biggest pain in the ass for the last twenty years and I turned out pretty well.

"Trouble maker or not, he's a strong Dhampir with skill, albeit a little sloppy," this word earned me a death stare from beside me, "but with work he could be amazing and he already has shown dedication to protecting Moroi." She looked between the three of us and then a slow grin pulled across her face.

"Fine, he can stay. But on one condition: you will mentor him, you will be responsible for him." She had that look on her face that I hated...the one that was begging me to fight back, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"Fine." I said. I stood up and looked down at her. "Is that all?"

"Not quite. I expect his training to start as soon as possible, as in the morning after which I expect a report from you and one other guardian. One slip up and he's gone, is that understood?"

"Yes Headmistress." I said.

She nodded with a smirk on her face that I so dearly wanted to wipe off. _One day, bitch! _I said to myself... I looked down at Belikov who was looking up at me with a weird look on his face. "Come on." I said to him. I walked towards the door and another guardian, Alberta, opened it with a smile on her face. "Don't say a word." I whispered to her as I walked past. Everyone followed me out and in the foyer of the admin building I turned around and faced my new challenge. "I will show you to your room. Alberta, can you take Lord Ozera to his room please?" She nodded and then left with most of the other guardians.

"Just point me in the right direction, I'll find my own way." I looked up to my new charge and could no longer hide my smirk.

"I don't think so Belikov, trust is earned around here, not given." I walked off towards the Dhampir building and he strode up beside me.

"Do you know _why_ we left?" he asked me.

"No. I'm just here to get you ready to guard." He gave a soft snort and shook his head. As we entered the Dhampir building the others left, leaving me alone with Dimitri. We walked up to his room and I gave him the key. "Training starts at 5:30 in the morning, don't be late." I turned to walk away when he called back to me.

"Guardian Hathaway." I turned back to him and waited for him to continue. "What would you have done if I'd fought back?"

"I would have dropped you like yesterdays lunch. But no matter which way tonight had played out, you would still be standing where you are right now, but with a few more sore spots. Aren't you glad you didn't fight back?" I said with a smile. He smiled an amazing smile, one that suited his face perfectly and then he laughed.

"What makes you so sure that I would have been the one with sore spots?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I guess you'll find _that_ out in the morning Mr Belikov. Remember, don't be late." His smile broadened and he gave me a slight bow, then he turned and unlocked his door.

"Good night Guardian Hathaway. Sweet dreams." He said slightly laughing to himself. Yup.... I was finally proven wrong about something.... It wasn't all that long ago that I said to myself that he didn't look like too much trouble... I had a sneaking suspicion that I was about to find out just how much trouble he was going to be.....

Roll on tomorrow!


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay... Thank you all so much for the reviews you sent me... You all seemed to want it to continue, so here's a little more...  
This is actually the second version of Chapter two... My computer had a spack attack and didn't save the first draft.  
Anyway, I don't know how long this will go for, and I probably won't update as often as I normally do, but having 3 stories in my head at the same time is a little confusing! hehehe**

**Enjoy Everyone!**

**Two**

The next morning my alarm woke me at the normal time... 4:30... I groaned as I stretched out, cursing myself for getting into this situation, me and my big mouth! I got up and went to take a shower, hopefully that will put me in a slightly better mood. While there I thought about how I was going to start his training, first of all I needed to know how fit he was...or unfit as the case may be; so laps first. Then I needed to know where he was up to in his fight training. Once finished I got out and dried my hair off and put it up into a ponytail. A few weeks ago, Liss and I finally went shopping and I was able to get myself some new workout clothes. I pulled on my new, tight, thigh length training pants and crop top set; I'd planned on running _with_ Belikov so I wanted something comfy.

I walked into the gym and went to get the dummies set up; if he happened to be fitter than I'd thought then I would get him onto the next assessment. I still had fifteen or so minutes before he was due to arrive so I turned on my iPod, stuck the earphones in and sat in the chair behind the desk with my eyes closed and listened to my favourite songs, Muse was my current flavour of the month.... It wasn't long before I felt a breeze with the accompanying scent of his aftershave come into the gym from the doors opening. _He's here... _I thought to myself. And you know that feeling that you get when you know someone is standing near you....even though you can't see them? Well I had that feeling right now.... but he happened to come right in the middle of my favourite song so I just lifted my hand and pointed to the doors. "Start your laps, I'll be out shortly."

Within a few seconds I felt his presence leave so I slowly lifted my eyes to see him walk out of the gym. My song finished so I got up, opened the doors and watched him run; for such a big man he was extremely graceful, which probably had something to do with the amount of muscle that covered his body; his long legs allowed him to cover more ground at a slower speed. I walked to the gate that led out to the track and I stretched as I watched him coming around the back bend. _Now_ to see what his endurance levels were.... As he got closer I jogged out to meet him; he'd done enough laps by now to be warmed up....so, time to pick up the pace! I pushed a little ahead of him and just as I thought, he sped up to match me so then every half lap I would do the same thing and so would he. After a few more laps I noticed that he was starting to breathe a little harder so I pushed a little bit more. "Last lap Belikov, and the last one over the finish line does fifty push ups." He sped up a bit more and was now at his limit, but not me...I had more to go. Inching closer to the finish line I kicked it into another gear, he had no chance. I finished a good ten feet in front of him, as he crossed the line he fell to the ground breathing hard.

"Shit....you can run. Not many....people normally....beat me..." he said panting.

"Yeah well, that's why I'm the mentor." I said sarcastically. He didn't look at me but I saw a small smile pull at his lips.

"How did you know....I was there earlier...in the gym?" he asked as his breath started to regulate. I wasn't about to let him in on my secret ways... so I tried to sound all mysterious...

"I don't need to open my eyes to see Belikov." To which he gave a little snort. "Time to make good on the deal... Up and at 'em soldier." I said as I walked back to the gate. I could hear him get up behind me so I waited for him to catch up; as he walked past me I heard him mumble something under his breath that didn't sound very good, but whatever it was it was said in Russian so I had no idea what he said. I walked behind him to the gym and was about to tell him to 'get down and give me fifty' when he leapt up to the high bar that was off to the side and started counting off chin ups. He'd got rid of his shirt while running and I found myself staring.... He didn't have a six pack; it was more like a ten pack of rock hard abs, my eyes going up taking in the shape of his arms, the shape of his.... _Shit Hathaway....pull yourself together woman! _I thought to myself. I walked over to the chair that I was in before and as I looked up I found myself staring at his amazing back; it was as good as the front. His was not the normal physique of an eighteen year old, Dhampir or not....

I mentally chided myself for my wicked thoughts, but I also made myself a note to ensure that he kept a shirt on from now on.... I really didn't need the distraction. I was looking down at my iPod as I heard him gently land on the floor after doing the chin ups and a wicked thought entered my head. I saw him come stand beside me so I thought I'd have a little fun. "You know..." I said, "I think I said that the loser had to do fifty _push_ ups, not fifty chin ups." I glanced up to see what he thought of that but was greeted with a rather determined face. I could tell that if I said anything else that he was probably determined enough to go do the push ups too just to make a point. "But," I said standing up, "first I want to see where your fight training level is at. I led him over to the training dummies that I'd set up before hand and I put my hand on ones shoulder. He looked at me and a small smile pulled at his lips...

"So...you want me to fight the dummy? Or one of these things that's supposed to look like Strigoi?" I could see he was using every bit of self control he had not to burst out laughing, and as funny as it was, I wasn't about to let him take the advantage. I curled up my right hand into a fist and before he knew what hit him, my fist connected with his cheek. He recovered and stood staring at me in shock.

"Your choice," I said with only the hint of a smile, "but the dummy hits back." He could no longer keep the smile from his face and while keeping his eyes on me; he backed away to the middle of the gym.... _Okay, game on! _I thought. The fact that he'd been out in the real world for the last couple of years and hadn't trained meant nothing at the moment; he was a lot bigger than me physically.....and he would definitely be a _lot_ stronger too, but I'd been trained to work that to my advantage. And now was the time that I had to prove that.

We circled one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move. "You know Guardian Hathaway," he said.

"Rose..." I corrected. If we were going to work closely with one another, the 'guardian Hathaway' was going to have to go...

"Well Rose... That wasn't very fair you know." He said.

"Really? Tell me why that is Belikov."

"Dimitri." He said back to me... I nodded. "I wasn't expecting you to hit me just then." Oh, wasn't he...

"Well, I'm sorry to say that Strigoi don't give you warnings. They just kill you."

"That's not what I meant." He said...

"Mmm... Is this also what you plan on doing when faced with Strigoi?" I asked him. He looked a little confused so I clarified for him. "Chit chats with tea and cookies!" He narrowed his eyes and crouched a little lower. _Right! That's more like it. _He leapt forward leading with his right fist. I easily deflected his attack; backhanding it away from me. I ducked under his arm and came up behind him, quickly ramming my elbow into his kidneys. By the time he spun back around I was already waiting for him; I jumped up and flung myself into a flying roundhouse kick which landed on the side of his head. He fell to the side as I landed perfectly, I continued the barrage with my fists and to his credit he actually blocked a few, but then I dropped and kicked his legs out from underneath him; he landed hard this time, his breath rushing out of his lungs. I jumped on him bringing my fist down over his heart... I leant down so that I was now only an inch from his face and as he opened his eyes I whispered...."You're dead."

"So it would seem....Rose." he said back. His eyes were as hypnotic as his body.... the half naked body that I was currently straddled over....._Damn it! _I said to myself as I closed my eyes briefly.

"Yes, quite dead. If you are going to have any chance protecting your friend or any _other_ Moroi for that matter, you're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than you've done so far." I still hadn't got off him, but I wanted to get my point across.

"Well, unless there's something else you'd like to teach me in this position, I suggest we get on with it." He grinned at me.... Cheeky shit! I got up quickly and walked over to the chair. I turned back around to see him sitting there staring at me with the grin still firmly in place.

I pointed to the dummies as I put the earplugs back into my ears, "Now it's the strigoi's turn..." He smiled wider and shook his head as he stood up and walked to the dummies. For the next fifteen minutes I sat and watched him as I listened to my music, a few times he actually fought to the beat... He was quite good, but a little sloppy in his execution; he put too much power into shots which in turn would only tire him out quicker. I would have to work on that. I got up and stood behind the dummy and once his attention diverted to me, he stood back panting.

"So, like what you see?" he asked. If only he knew....

"Mostly," I said. "But you're sloppy, you need refining." He lifted his chin at me as though I'd challenged him. "But it won't take you long to correct with more work. You should get to your next class."

"Why are you here?" he asked me. I was a little taken back by his question; I couldn't work out why he would ask it.

"What do you mean? I work here."

"Well, you're Rose Hathaway; you killed Strigoi before you even graduated. Why are you _here_, out in the middle of nowhere?" I knew my reputation preceded me with other guardians, but I didn't think novices from other parts of the country knew about my exploits.

"My charge was asked to teach here and where she goes, I go, so it was only common sense that I teach here too. When she's finished here, so will I be." He stood there slowly nodding while looking me over, wondering if I was telling the whole truth. "Unless you plan on going to your next class dressed like that, I would suggest you put your shirt back on." I said, but he just smiled at me.

"Am I distracting you Rose?"

"Not at all Dimitri. Do you know the ratio of male to female Dhampirs? Because if you do, then you'd know just how many hot and sweaty male Dhampir bodies I've seen." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I regretted them.... and seeing him giggle, I knew he couldn't leave without a reply.

"Well, as long as I know you think I'm hot, I suppose that's all that matters." He went to walk past me to go and get his shirt but as he got beside me he stopped and looked down at me. "See you after school teach... I think I'm going to enjoy my time with you." My heart picked up its pace as he walked away....

I stood there waiting, and finally I heard the doors shut. I took a deep breath and shook my head. "What have you gotten yourself into Rose?" I said to myself.

"I'd like the answer to that question too if you don't mind." I smiled as I heard his voice. I turned around and standing in front of me was my stunning Moroi pain in the ass.

"Hello lover." I said to him.

"Hello to you too little Dhampir, now, are you going to answer my question?" I smirked at him as he walked towards me. I looked up at him as he stood only inches away from me. Those wonderful green eyes.... suddenly a pair of stunning brown eyes flashed into my head but I quickly shook that away.

"Oh you know me, always in the right place to find trouble. I have a new position," Adrian lifted one eyebrow in question. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm mentoring someone."

"Oh really? They put _you_ in charge of shaping some poor innocent Dhampir?" He said with a smirk.

"Yeah, they did, although poor & innocent really aren't the words I'd use to describe him. Do you remember a Dhampir and Moroi running away from the Dunseith Academy up in North Dakota a couple of years ago?" he nodded so I continued. "Well they found out where they were about a week ago and then a few days ago Kirova sent me to retrieve them; we got back last night and this morning was my first training session with the Dhampir, Dimitri."

"Dimitri is it? What's he like?" He asked. I could see on his face that he wasn't just asking to make conversation... I knew him well enough to know what this face meant.

"Stop reading my aura." He just smiled.

"Must be pretty _hot_ from the colors that swirled around you when I walked in."

"Adrian, that is so not fair." He shrugged his shoulder and pulled out his packet of cigarettes from his jacket. "Not here, wait till you're outside." I said to him. He put them back into his pocket but kept smiling at me. "Get that grin off your face or I'll wipe it off for you." I threatened, big lot of good that did.

"What's he like Rose? I haven't seen crimson in your aura for quite some time, last time was with me if I remember correctly." Memories of our brief but hot romance flashed into my mind. "Hang on... how old is he?"

"He's eighteen...and a half."

"Oh well, that half makes _all_ the difference."

"It's not like that Adrian. He's...rather good looking, granted, but I'm his mentor and I'm older than he is...."

"Not that much older." He interrupted. "You only turned twenty two weeks ago, or has he made you forget my present for you already." I smiled as I remembered his present.

"No, I haven't forgotten."

"Mmm.... Don't do something that you'll regret Little Dhampir."

"Regret? When have you ever known _me_ to do something that I'd regret?" the sarcasm dripped off each word... As much as thoughts of Dimitri swirled in my head, as much as I could see myself reaching out for him, I was a guardian, Lissa's guardian, sworn to protect her with my life, for the rest of my life. That left no room for anything or _anyone_ else. Just as I'd been brought up to believe..... Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's the third installment of this new story... I'm really glad you all seem to be enjoying the little twist... I think I'm going to have fun with this... hehehe  
Anyway, I'm going away until Sunday, so I thought I'd update now and then again when I get back...  
Enjoy everyone... Sandy**

**Three**

The next two days where much the same. Dimitri and I trained; first running and then sparring. He was learning really fast and even though I still had a lot left to teach him, I knew it wouldn't be long before his strength alone would make up for what he lacked in technique. He was also just as distracting as he was when I first laid eyes on him. On the third day we were in the gym stretching before we started our run when he started up a conversation, which was odd in a way, he doesn't really talk much; unlike me, only when he has something to say or when he teases me.

"So how long have you known the Princess?" I hadn't told him anything about my bond with Lissa and I didn't know if he had already heard.

"Since we were in kindergarten together. Why?"

"I've seen you together and you seem really close, but you never talk about her when we're here. Oh, that reminds me," he said with a smirk, "Christian asked me if I knew if she was dating anyone, he thinks she's hot!" I smiled at the thought of telling Lissa when I saw her; she hadn't dated anyone since her brother Andre died. Thinking about him brought back memories of the accident, the one where she brought me back to life. After me she tried to save Andre too, but she was too weak to heal both of us. Andre was only half healed, he never regained consciousness and after twelve months on a respirator she made the decision to let him go; it nearly pulled her into a pit of depression, but with my help, she or should I say we, got through it. Christian might just be someone to bring a little light into her life.

"No, she's not dating anyone; she hasn't since her brother died three years ago. So you can let him know." He chuckled to himself and nodded.

"I will, don't know if he'll have the guts to do anything about it though."

"I didn't think he seemed the type to be scared of going after what he wants, from what I know, he's had his fair share of altercations."

"Yeah, but that's in situations where he knows he won't lose someone he..." he stopped talking, knowing he'd said too much.

"He still has problems over losing his family?" Dimitri nodded but said no more about it, so I didn't push. "Come on, I want to see you do five more laps." He turned to stare at me.

"Five more? Are you _trying_ to kill me?" he asked.

"No... If I was trying to kill you, I just would." He just grinned and walked to the gym doors muttering to himself. I only caught the end of what he said.... as my Russian isn't all that good, but I heard him say, 'milaya moya', I'd snuck into Lissa's head enough during her Russian language classes in school to pick up on some words here and there, and those words meant 'my sweet'. _I'll give him my sweet.... _but first I'll let him sweat.... I followed him out to the track and we started running. After about five laps I was about to speed up when I looked over to him and said, "Time to speed up....my s_weet_." I made sure to emphasise that last word and the look on his face meant that he knew I'd picked up on some of what he'd said back in the gym. What he didn't need to know, was that I didn't understand _all_ of what he said. We ran in silence for the rest of the run, every now and then I'd pick up the pace, I still beat him, but I wasn't beating him by the same margins anymore, even after this short time in training. Once we finished, we walked back to the gym.

"You understood...before?" he said. I just looked at him but didn't confirm or deny...

_Rose, where are you? _Said Lissa through the bond. My eyes focused on nothing, as usual when we spoke to one another like this.

_In the gym, you know that, why?_

_I have something to tell you. _I tried to see what it was but she had her barriers up.

_Mmm, must be juicy if you're trying to hide it Liss._ I smiled.

_I've just met the most stunning guy._..._ His name is Christian. _I instantly looked up to Dimitri, who was giving me the weirdest looks, and I couldn't help but smile. I must have looked like an absolute fruitcake, sitting there grinning to myself and staring into nothing...

_Yeah, he's not bad, and from what I heard, he fancies you too._.. I felt a range of emotions through the bond, shock, excitement, anxiety and lastly, curiosity...

_How do you know that?_

_Liss, I'm kinda busy right now, I'll meet you outside your classroom when I'm finished here alright?_

_Fine! _I gave a little giggle at her expression of the word and looked back to Dimitri; an explanation was now on the cards.

"Sit down," I said to him as I walked to the mats. "How much do you know about me....and the Princess?" I asked him.

"Not much, why?" I took a deep breath trying to work out how to start the story off. I we were going to work together as much as we were, then he'd have to know about the bond. It was a little freaky to those who weren't used to it.

"I have a bit of a story to tell, but it's a little involved. But keep an open mind." He smiled as he made himself comfortable. He laid down on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. I started off at the accident; after all, that's where it all started.... this whole shadow-kissed crap. By the time I'd finished he was sitting up, legs crossed and totally in awe.

"That's just.... WOW!"

"So, what you saw before was..."

"You speaking to each other." He finished for me. I nodded.

"That's so cool. I bet you got really good grades at school huh. If you didn't know an answer, you could just ask the Princess through the bond and no-one would ever know." Oh God, he thought so much like me....that's exactly what we did, although I would never tell him that.

"No... We did _not_ do that."

"Yeah sure... Ah-huh!" he said as he stood up. "You and me, we're two sides to the same coin. That's exactly what you two did, because that's exactly what Christian and I would do." He walked over to his gym bag so that he could go to his next class, which happened to be combat training and then turned with one of his amazing smiles. "See you in a few hours Teach." And then he walked out. I was obviously letting too much of myself out, he'd picked up a lot in the few days that we'd known each other. I was his mentor, not his best friend, nor anything else for that matter. I'd have to start setting some boundaries; I didn't want these fledgling feelings turning into something else.

I got up to quickly take a shower. I let Liss know that I'd meet her in about ten minutes. I got into one of the shower cubicles and felt all the tension fall away, the hot water on my skin always made me feel better. I did some of my best thinking while I slowly scorched my skin... I turned off the water and got out.... "Oh Crap!" I said... I'd forgotten to grab a towel on the way in and they were in a locker in the main bathroom. It was Tuesday, so the gym was not being used to day...thank God.... so I was just going to run over to the locker and grab one. I opened the shower door to run out and came face to face with Dimitri who was standing in the open doorway of the bathroom.

"I Ah... Um..." he muttered while staring at me. He quickly spun around, turning his back to me. "Shit, I'm sorry... I came in here to get something." I was mortified! I'd just made a pact with myself to build up some walls between us and now he's seem me completely naked.... _Shit! _

"Would you mind leaving for a minute please, I'll be out soon." I said with as little emotion as possible. I could feel my cheeks burning red... how on earth was I going to face him now. _Shit, shit, shit!!! _I grabbed a towel and went back to my shower to dry off and get dressed. I dragged my wet hair into a messy ponytail/bun type of thing and held my head up and walked out the bathroom doors. He was standing against the wall to my left as I came out, and I instantly felt my face flush again. "It's all yours." I said as I walked past him to leave. I didn't think he was going to say anything as I'd nearly got to the gym doors when he spoke up.

"Don't feel embarrassed, especially with a body like yours. I'm not." I stopped with my hands on the now open gym doors; my heart racing.... Do I go back and say something or do I just leave? In my confusion I didn't hear him come up behind me, but I did feel it when he put his hand on my shoulder. "I didn't mean to walk in on you. I'm sorry." I thought it best to look at him now rather than leave it till later when it may be even more awkward, so I turned around to find myself only inches from his body.

Being this close to him without the 'fight' in between us was....extremely distracting to say the least. His aftershave mixed with his sweat almost made me dizzy.... _SHIT! I can't think straight, what in the hell's wrong with me? _"Um...That was a little....awkward." I said. "You better get whatever you were after and get to your Combat class; Guardian Petrov won't be impressed if you're late." And _up _goes the wall.... He looked deep into my eyes and I don't know how I kept my hands from reaching up and pulling him to me. He nodded and walked back to the bathroom. I took a deep breath to clear my head and walked off to meet Lissa.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, hello again everyone! I'm back!!! Well I had a great few days at a friends place... I don't know if you all know this or not, but my hubby and I breed  
Arabian horses and we have a couple of mares that were at my friends stud to go in foal...  
I went there to give her a hand.... So hopefully I will have some good news in a couple of weeks telling me that I will have 2 beautiful baby's next year!!!  
Anyway... thanks for being so patient, here is chapter four of this story... I am going to have so much fun with this... hehehehe**

**Enjoy!**

**Four.**

Dimitri's Point of View.

I reached out and slammed my hand onto the alarm clock beside my bed. I really hate that thing.....although; there is one good thing that I'm reminded of every time it goes off.... Rose. If it weren't for her, I would have gone...again. I've only known here for a couple of days and already I can't stop thinking about her; I don't know how much longer I can stop myself from trying to kiss her. Even Christian's noticed how distracted I am since coming here. He asked me about it at dinner last night, what was I going to tell him? I have a crush on my mentor, my stunningly sexy, badass mentor.... I don't think so. I'd never hear the end of it if I told him, he'd be like a dog with a bone and then everyone at the school would know about it.... Nah... I'll keep this little bit of info to myself. I got up and went to change into my workout clothes, black track pants and a white t-shirt. I quickly got myself down to the gym hoping to get there before her, but as usual, she was already there.

I walked in and said hello trying not to seem like I was looking at her too much, which of course I ended up doing anyway... We started doing our stretches so I thought I'd start talking. I asked her about her charge, Princess Vasilissa; I'd caught sight of them a couple of times since being here and they looked really close, at times they'd look and act like they knew what the other was thinking, I'd never seen such a close friendship before. I also told her about Christian's crush on the Princess.... he was going to be furious when I tell him, oh well... if _I_ didn't say something, he'd never make a move.

She told me about the Princess' brother, how he died. That's how I found out that she wasn't dating anyone, which would make Christian's day. Whenever he'd catch a glimpse of her, he'd go to mush... Sort of like someone else I know.... me!

"I didn't think he seemed the type to be scared of going after what he wants, from what I know, he's had his fair share of altercations." She said amused....

"Yeah, but that's in situations where he knows he won't lose someone he..." I stopped talking as I'd already said too much. Letting the cat out of the bag about his feelings for the Princess was one thing, talking about his loss was another thing altogether. If he wanted people to know about that, then that was his story to tell, not mine. She seemed to pick up on my reluctance to go into anymore details and changed the subject.... I couldn't believe it when she said that I had to do more laps.

"Five more? Are you _trying_ to kill me?" I asked.

"No... If I was trying to kill you, I just would." I couldn't help but smile. I knew damn well that if she wanted to, she would snap me in half... as big as I am and as good as I was at fighting, I knew she was better. I'd heard about how she fought the strigoi, apparently to see her in a real fight was something to behold. As I walked to the gym doors I muttered to myself, Скоро наступит день Милая моя (One day soon my sweet). We went out to the track and started running, we hadn't been out there long when she turned to me and spoke.... "Time to speed up..._my sweet_." I think all the blood just drained from my face... _Shit..._ _I thought I said that in Russian... _I wondered just how much she understood. The rest of the run was done in silence, but she kept pushing me, faster and faster and I was catching up; it wouldn't be too long before I'd beat her. We walked back to the gym and I knew I'd have to approach the subject.

"You understood...before?" I asked. She never said a word, but from the look she gave me, I knew I'd been sprung. All of a sudden she got a really weird look come over her face. "Rose?" I said... but there was nothing, and I was getting a little concerned... All of a sudden she smiled and then her eyes, that were once again alive, flashed to me. She smiled at me again but the look on her face was like she was talking to someone on a non-existent cell phone. I was about to ask her if she was alright when she started giggling... okay....weird!

"Sit down." She said to me. I didn't know what to expect, Rose had a reputation as one of the most deadly guardians around, hot tempered and a heartbreaker, all of which I'd seen small portions of in the last couple of days.

"How much do you know about me....and the Princess?" She asked.

"Not much, why?"

"I have a bit of a story to tell, but it's a little involved. But keep an open mind." Okay....this was either going to be an enlightening or a 'she's a nut job' type of story I think.... I laid down on my side and got myself comfortable, but what she ended up telling me was....almost unbelievable. If I hadn't seen her private chat with the Princess myself, I don't think I would have believed the story.

"That's just.... WOW!"

"So, what you saw before was..."

"You speaking to each other?" I asked. She nodded in reply...

"That's so cool." Then I thought of something.... "I bet you got really good grades at school huh. If you didn't know an answer, you could just ask the Princess through the bond and no-one would ever know." She looked like she was trying to work out if she should tell the truth or be the goody two shoes mentor.... Guess which one she went with....

"No... We did _not_ do that." I can read her like a book...

"Yeah sure... Ah-huh!" I said as I got up. "You and me, we're two sides to the same coin. That's exactly what you two did, because that's exactly what Christian and I would do." I went and picked up my bag as I didn't have long to get to my next class, but I had to take one more look at her and noticed she was still looking at me. _Yeah, I know exactly how you think. _"See you in a few hours Teach." I said before I left. I'd almost got half way across the quad when I realised that I hadn't got my change of clothes out of my locker. All I had in my bag was a towel and another pair of shoes; Petrov would drag me out if I stunk up her classroom.... I turned around and quickly walked back to the gym. When I got there she was gone; I didn't see her leave...oh well, she'd obviously gone out a different way. I walked over to the bathroom where the lockers were located and I pushed the door open and my world came to a screeching halt. Standing in front of me was my own personal Goddess in all her glory. She'd just got out of the shower and she was...and I was... I blinked and started breathing again as my brain reconnected itself...

"I Ah... Um..." I couldn't think of anything to say so I just spun around and faced the other way. _For shit sake!_ I had enough trouble keeping my hands off her at the best of times, now she standing behind me naked and holy shit.... she's.... _Swallow Dimitri; get a hold of yourself man.... _"Shit, I'm sorry... I came in here to get something." I shut my eyes and willed myself not to turn around and take her in my arms, and it took every bit of control I had.

"Would you mind leaving for a minute please, I'll be out soon." she said. Even though she tried to say it like nothing had just happened, I could tell she was embarrassed. I didn't say anything; I just took a few steps forward and let the door shut softly behind me. I leant against the wall next to the door and waited for her to come out and when she did she took one look at me and blushed furiously.

"It's all yours." She said as she walked past me. I didn't want her to leave... I wanted to hold her in my arms, in another way other than sparring.... especially after what I just saw. She was utterly perfect.

"Don't feel embarrassed," I said. "Especially with a body like yours. I'm not."

She stopped walking when she got to the doors; she just held the door open and stared outside. This was my chance...I had to touch her.... I walked up behind her and noticed how deeply she was breathing and I didn't know what she'd do if I put my arms around her so I just put a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to walk in on you. I'm sorry." She slowly turned around to look at me but in doing so, she ended up only inches from me, I didn't realise I had walked so close to her. My heart kicked up a notch or two as I stared into her eyes.... _Oh God she was stunning... _I was losing control of myself as I started to feel my arm move, but just then she broke the silence....

"Um...That was a little....awkward." she said. "You better get whatever you were after and get to your Combat class; Guardian Petrov won't be impressed if you're late." I could see she was trying to control herself as much as I was.... _Could she? Could she really be starting to feel something for me? _I had to go, if she really was feeling anything like I was, she would have to make the first move, so I nodded and with my last remaining threads of self control, I turned around and walked back to the bathroom. When I got in there, I couldn't help but glance over to the shower she'd just been in; the memory was.....nice, and then I walked over to my locker with a smile. This afternoon's practice should be interesting....

I was a little hesitant coming out of the bathroom. I didn't really think she'd still be here, but I must admit there was a small part of me that wished she would be.... I pushed the bathroom door open and peered out...no, she was gone. I walked out of the gym and ran to my next class.

"Nice of you to join us Mr Belikov." Said Guardian Petrov. She was in her fifties, but she could still kick every one of our butts from here to kingdom come! I smiled at her and looked at the snickering faces of my fellow novices.

"Sorry Guardian Petrov, I forgot something after my training with Guardian Hathaway and had to go back and get it." As I said her name, the image that will forever be burned into my psyche flashed into my head again and I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh really? I don't actually find anything funny about that so maybe you'd like to share with the rest of us why you're smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary." My face fell as I scrambled for something to say... I most certainly didn't want to tell everyone what I was smiling about, but I'd soon found out that Petrov had a habit of sniffing out ways to embarrass students; many had fallen prey to my amusement.

"Nothing really, just thinking of...a move Guardian Hathaway showed me. It caught me by surprise, that's all." She looked like she was going to pull me up on it as she narrowed her eyes, but thankfully, she didn't. The rest of the class went by in a blur; all I could think about was her, so I was really happy to finally get out of there. As I walked to my next class, Christian was walking towards me.

"Hey Dimitri." He said.

"Hey Christian. Got anything planned for tonight?" He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at me... I really hated it when he did that, past experience told me that it would lead to no good. "By the way. Did something happen in your training with Hathaway this morning?" _Where in the hell did that come from?_ I thought to myself.... I was momentarily speechless...

"Uh... What? Why, what did you hear?" It wasn't until all that 'what, why, what' dribbled out of my mouth that I realised my mistake... Christian knew me extremely well and he knew that I didn't fluster.... The only time I did was when I'd been caught in a 'compromising position' with one of our teachers when we were on the run.... He paid me out then as I knew he was about to do now.....the giveaway was the evil smile that quickly spread across his face.

"So...something _did_ happen.... Spill Belikov! What did you do?"

"What makes you think it was something that _I _did?"

"Well," he said grinning. "On my way to class this morning I found myself walking behind the Princess when Hathaway came running from the gym. The look on her face was....I don't know...embarrassed maybe. She grabbed the Princess by the arm and said... "Did you just see what happened in there?" The Princess grinned at her and then started to giggle... What happened?" I normally shared everything with Christian, out in the world our safety depended on total honesty, but this....I didn't know what he'd do with this little bit of info... Then I realised what Christian had said... Rose told me about the bond between her and the Princess... _Shit! _The Princess had seen everything...heard everything we'd said...

"Well... I'll tell you on one condition."

"Oh... this is gonna be good, isn't it?" He asked like an eager kid on Christmas morning. I nearly changed my mind and didn't tell him, but I knew that now he knew there _was_ something to tell, he would never let up on it until I told him, or he'd just flick little flame buds at me until I relented.

"_Promise_ me Christian."

"_Okay_....I promise."

"I forgot my clothes after my training this morning, so I went back to get them. I went to go get them out of the lockers and as I opened the bathroom doors, I walked in on Hathaway coming out of the shower.....without a towel." His eyes nearly popped and his mouth hung open and then after a few seconds of stunned silence he burst out in laughter. He bent forward, putting one hand on his stomach and one on a knee, and as he looked up at me with tears of laughter in his eyes, the laughing hitched up a notch. He was soon on the ground gasping for breath as I stood shaking my head at him.

"You're....kidding... me! I can't....believe you... Every male in this school probably dreams of her every night and you.... you actually get to see her in the.... _FLESH_!" I jumped forward and put my hand over his mouth as he continued to laugh.

"Shut up Mongrel... You promised." I growled at him.

"I'm sorry man... but holy CRAP! _Hathaway_??? You really are one lucky son of a..."

"_Ozera, Belikov!"_ We looked up at a glaring Headmistress Kirova. "Can you please explain why you are both out here instead of your appropriate classes?"

"Ah, we were just on our way Headmistress." Said Christian as he finally got control of himself. He glanced back at me as he stalked off to his class, laughing to himself the whole way. I looked to Kirova and nodded and then walked off to where I had to be. I knew that I was going to get grilled at lunch time... I was going to have to give him every detail. Oh Joy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi Everyone. Well thank you all so much for your reviews... You are all just the best!!! I'm going to have a lot of fun with this story I think,  
there are just so many possibilities... Here's the next chapter, I'll get the next 'Eternity' chapter up soon, I've just got  
a little more to write though... Anyway.... I hope you like it..**

**Sandy**

**Five**

I took off out of the gym and as I did so, I checked to see where Lissa was; I had a serious need to talk. She was just leaving the teachers dorm and was heading to her first class. I could feel that my face was still flushed and it only got worse every time I remembered Dimitri's face when he saw me as I walked out of the shower. Hi face showed no embarrassment, it was full of desire. As hard as he was trying not to look, I could tell it took a lot of effort on his part to turn around. Lissa smiled as she saw me walking towards her, but I could only imagine what my face showed because her smile fell rather quickly. I grabbed her by the arm and tried to keep my voice quiet enough so that the kids around us wouldn't hear too much.

"Did you just see what happened in there?" I asked her. She smiled a rather guilty smirk but couldn't quite keep the giggle in.

"What happened?" she asked me.

_You know what happened don't you? How much did you see? _I asked her through the bond.

_Oh._..._enough! I was actually quite surprised by his face that he was able to turn around. _She kept giggling as we walked.

"Stop laughing. Do you know how embarrassing that was?" I asked her.

_No... Can't say I do. I've never walked in front of any of my students naked before. _I glared at her.... she was enjoying every bit of my discomfort...

_Watch it woman... Princess or not, I will make you pay if you don't stop laughing at me.... _I was trying to make my face as serious as possible, but it was hard work in the face of Lissa's laughing. I tried so hard not to laugh myself, but finally I cracked... I couldn't hold it in any longer. "You are so mean." I said to her.

"You're only as embarrassed as you are because of how you feel Rose." I looked at her in shock. What on earth is she going on about....how I _feel_???

"What have you been smoking?" I said to her sarcastically.

"Rose, I see aura's....remember? I see yours and for the last few days, whenever you talk about Dimitri... pinks and purples start to flood around you. You can't fool me." I took a deep breath in as I knew I couldn't argue with her, but pinks??? Pink was supposed to be love wasn't it? I don't love him; I may think he's unbelievably hot and I could so picture running my hands over the extremely refined muscles that...

"_Rose!_" she shrieked at me.... "I can hear you too...._remember_!" I don't think I've ever blushed for such an extended amount of time before in my whole life... We'd finally made our way to her classroom where she worked with the other spirit users and I knew she was going to have to leave; this conversation was going to have to continue after school....after my next practice session with Dimitri...

"What am I going to do?" I asked her simply. She looked at me with a very understanding expression.

"I don't really know Rose. But I tell you what...I'll meet you after your training session and we'll talk then, it'll give both of us some thinking time." I nodded and she turned to go inside.

"Oh, by the way Liss... You've got a secret admirer yourself." I grinned as I saw the look on her face and then I turned and walked away.

_Who is it? I can't believe you got those barriers up so quick..... Tell me who it is...or I won't help you after school..._

_That's blackmail! _I said to her silently.

_You better believe it._

_Okay, I'll give you a hint.... He's really, really hot! _I knew that Ozera was a fire user, but I didn't know if she did. I smiled and giggled as I walked back to the guardian's building where Alberta's office was so that I could get my next few days' assignments. Normally I did patrol in the mornings, which would be good today; it would give me plenty of time to think about things.

_Well that tells me nothing._.._I'll see you later. _She said a little annoyed. I shook my head as rounded the corner of the building. I finally walked into Alberta's office and waited until she got off the phone.

"Rose." She said as she hung up. She handed me a piece of paper with the next three days assignments on it and I was looking at it when she spoke. "What happened in your before school session with Belikov this morning?" I nearly choked on my own tongue, but somehow I kept my face from showing too much.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Well, when Belikov came in late this morning I asked him why, and he said that he'd forgotten something and had to go back for it. That was alright but when he started smiling like the Cheshire cat, I asked him what was so funny...." _Oh God, what did he say?_ I thought to myself.

"What did he say?" I asked in my most nonchalant manner.

"He said that you.... Oh, how did he put it? Oh, that's right... you showed him a move that caught him by surprise...." _I showed him a move did I? _Hell, what was I going to say to that? "What sort of move was that?" she asked.

"I have no idea. I told him about the bond I have with Lissa because while we were practising, she asked me something in the middle of everything and I spaced out a little. I thought it best that he knew what to expect considering that we would be working so closely together." Well, I didn't lie... I did actually tell him about all of that.

"Hmm.... Seriously, these kids get weirder and weirder as the years go by. Although.....I have actually been quite surprised by Belikov's behaviour since he's been here. His dossier has him pegged as quite the trouble maker, always bucking the rules, fighting because of his temper... Not unlike someone else I know." She smiled as she looked at me. I had to smile back as I had been _exactly_ like Dimitri when I was here as a student.

"Oh, you loved me as a student, admit it. I made life around this place interesting."

"_Interesting_.... yeah, that's one of _many_ words that I would use. How do you think Belikov is going? Do you think he has what it takes?"

"Definitely, he's a quick learner and he's got a lot of skill, I just have to teach him how to control it." She smiled at me again.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you of all people would be teaching someone _else_ how to control themselves." A smile stretched across my face as I remembered how I was known to fly into rages in my younger days....but that was all...well mostly all...behind me now. "Anyway, getting back to the roster, I've only given you the next three days but it may change yet. Guardian Mitchell is going to Court the day after tomorrow, so I may need you to take a shift or two more while he's away."

"Yeah, that's fine. It's not like I'm going anywhere." I stood up and said goodbye to Alberta. I always liked her when I was a student, she was a great teacher, and now she was a great friend. I then went to the classroom that I'd been assigned to, animal behaviour. I actually loved this class; I found it my most favourite class when I was here. I silently entered the classroom and went to stand at the back of the room, to the right of where I'd just entered, but it wasn't until I turned around, that I saw who was in this class. You guessed it....Dimitri. He looked up at me and then tried to smother the smile that pulled at the side of his mouth. I kept looking forward, occasionally scanning outside the classroom windows and each time I did, I noticed that he was looking at me. As soon as he'd see me look, he'd avert his eyes. Guardian Alto was the teacher of this class and even though I'd known him a long time, we'd clashed nearly every time we spoke. He was such a pompous fool, always sprouting off like he knew everything there was to know about every subject in the world.... I suddenly found myself remembering the _many_ times I broke his nose in _many_ fights....

"As much as we'd like to think of ourselves as evolved creatures," Alto said, "we're really not that much different from every other animal on this planet. Think about it, the males of our species, whether it be Moroi, Dhampir _or_ human, think of ourselves as the ones who go and choose our mates. But as some of you have already found out, that's not the case..." I couldn't help but smile at this statement... how very true! "The females are the ones who ultimately choose who they will accept as a partner. Their bodies are made the way they are to attract males," I didn't move my head but my eyes did glance over to Dimitri only this time, he didn't look away. My body shivered for some reason... "And _we're_ made the way we are to show what we have to offer as a partner. If she deems us acceptable, then we find ourselves.....where we want to be." Just then I saw Dimitri put his hand up.....

"Yes Belikov?" Stan asked.

"Guardian Alto, what if the male finds the female he's been looking for, and is pretty sure that the female likes what she sees, but for some reason she won't take what's on offer?" I swallowed as I heard his double meaning.... My heart was beating madly... "_what's on offer?"_ I was staring at the floor when Stan answered.

"Well, either the male has read the wrong signals or the female is nuts and not fit to continue her genes anyway." Everyone in the class laughed at his analogy, everyone other than Dimitri & I....he just glanced in my direction to let me know that it had all been for my benefit. I needed to leave.... I turned towards the door and walked out into the cool night air. I stopped as I got to the middle of the quads, I had a lot to think about and I knew the exact place that would help me work out my troubled mind and feelings..... So I made my way to the track....running always gave me the time and space when I needed to think...

* * *

**Adrian's Point of View**

I groaned as my phone rang on the bedside table.... I contemplated letting it ring, but I knew that it would be either Rose or Lissa ringing as they were really the only ones who rang me these days.... I reached out and grabbed it, not bothering to look at who was ringing... "Hello..." I said sleepily.

"Adrian," said Lissa. "Don't tell me you're still in bed." _Fine,_ I thought to myself....I won't tell you.... "_Adrian_! Are you?" I smiled at her exasperated tone...

"You told me not to tell you...so I didn't. Make up your mind woman."

"Why are you still sleeping?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not now.... You just woke me up!" I could tell by the silence on the other end that she was starting to get annoyed... "What's up Cuz?" I asked.

"Are you sure you want to have a conversation or are you just content to make fun of everything I say?" Oh this is just too easy....

"Well, that depends on what you say next Cousin. If you follow your normal trend then I think I'll be making more fun..."

"You're a shit Adrian, you know that? Sometimes I don't know why I even bother."

"Alright, alright.... No more fun. Aren't I supposed to be the grumpy one seeing as _I'm _the one that was just woken up?" By her silence I thought I'd better shut up, I think she's only moments away from hanging up on me... "Sorry, what can I help you with my dear?"

"Well, if you're going to be serious for a minute I'll let you know. Earlier on today I was talking to Rose, well she's having a few....problems at the moment, and just now, I got a big rush of emotions from her... Do you think you can go talk to her, you have a way of getting her to spill."

"What problems would they be Cuz?" I asked.

"Well, go see her and if she tells you, then you'll know." Oh...a mystery, I loved mysteries....especially when they involved Rose. We said our goodbyes and I got up to have a quick shower and then within ten minutes of my strange phone call, I was out walking around looking for my Rose. It didn't take me long to find her actually, most guardians, novices and Moroi were in classes, so when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, I walked over to see Rose running flat out around that training track. She only did this when she was extremely confused or angry about something. I had a look at her aura and was taken a little by surprise. Her normal, greens, blues and purples that were shadowed in black, were now replaced by purples, pinks and red! Those colors normally went with someone who is in the first stages of love, or someone who was extremely pissed....but if the latter was the case, she wouldn't be running; she'd be punching someone into next week, so the only other explanation for the colors was love.....but who on earth had caught Rose's eye? I finally got to the track and leant on the rail as I waited for her to round the corner.

"Looking good Little Dhampir." I said as she ran in front of me. I didn't think she was going to stop, but she did about 20 feet later. She stood with her back to me, breathing hard and I just waited for her to come back to where I stood.

"I thought you'd still be in bed." She said as she turned around and started to walk back to me. I had to grin....she knew me so well.

"Yeah well....I didn't drink so much last night, so here I am... What ya doin'?" I asked.

"Needlework...." I said with as much sarcasm as I could put into the word... "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well it looks like you've got a lot on your mind. You only run like that when you're either pissed at someone or have a lot to think about. And seeing as there isn't anyone laid out bleeding profusely on the ground, I would think that you have a lot on your mind. Wanna talk?" She looked like she wanted to talk and suddenly her aura flushed with purple and then lots of pink.

"Stop checking me out Adrian." She said.

"It's not something that I try to do Rose; I see aura's 24/7..... But I still enjoy checking you out." I lifted my eyebrows, hoping she would want to tell me what was going on. She opened her mouth to say something when her eyes looked at something over my shoulder and suddenly her aura bloomed pink. I turned around to see that student she'd been training....Belikov. I turned back to her and her face was as flushed as her aura. "Always knew you liked trouble Rose....but a student?"

"Piss off Adrian." She hissed and then took off running again. That was my cue to leave. I turned around but Belikov was gone. I shook my head and laughed, this was going to be good... she would not get out of telling me all the juicy details, I wouldn't let her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi Everyone, Well here's a nice big chapter for you all....I hope you enjoy it... hehehe Hopefully I will get the next chapter  
of Eternity up in a few hours.... So Enjoy everyone!**

**Sandy**

**Six**

Dimitri's Point Of View

_Oh Crap! __you went a little too far that time... Gees Belikov_... I thought to myself... She just turned around and left the classroom. I sat there for a little while longer thinking if I should go after her to apologise or wait until after school.... I looked at the clock and saw that this class only had another five minutes anyway so I thought that would give her enough time to cool down enough for me to say sorry, but then again...I really did want to know if she felt even half of what I did. Those five minutes were the longest five minutes I'd spent in ages.... Finally the buzzer went signalling the end of the class and as I got up, Cassie came up to me, Cassandra Blake; she was one of the few female novices at this school.

"So, have you found someone that interests you Dimitri?" she asked. We'd hung out a little since I'd been here, she was quite pretty, and really, she _was_ what I would normally go for. But since meeting Rose....well....

"What makes you say that Cassie?"

"Oh, the question you asked Alto before.... Anyone we know?"

"Nope....no-one you know." I probably could have said that better as the look on her face went from hopeful to jealous in a split second. "It's no-one Cassie; really, it was just a question...that's all." Her features relaxed a little but I don't think she completely believed me.

"I was wondering if you and Christian would like to do something after last class today?" she asked.

"Sorry, I've got training with Guardian Hathaway." She looked down and nodded her head.

"Well, come by later on if you'd like, we're going to have a movie night....Terminator I think we have..."

"I'll see what Christian wants to do." I said and then I left. Before my next class I thought that I would have a quick walk around to see if I could find Rose. I came around the corner of the gym building where I trained with her and saw her on the track. She'd obviously been running, but she was talking to that Moroi that I'd seen her with on a few occasions. He looked like an Ivashkov with those green eyes, but I didn't really know. I didn't like him anyway; he'd be just like the rest of the Moroi men, a user, so I had no desire to get to know him. Then she saw me.... He saw that she'd seen me and he turned around to face me and then back to her. She said something to him and then ran off. I considered going to catch up to her but I thought if she'd wanted to talk, she wouldn't have run off. I was about to walk away when I heard the Moroi call out to me.

"Belikov!" he yelled. I didn't know how he knew my name....maybe Rose had told him about me. "Wait up..." he said. I nearly didn't, but that voice in the back of my head wouldn't let me be so rude to a Moroi....even him. He was nearly as tall as me, though I was nearly twice his size around the chest. I nodded to him as he got to me. "So, you're the one Rose is training, aren't you?"

"Yes. And you are?" He smiled at me, probably picking up my slight dislike for him.

"My name is Adrian, Ivashkov." I knew it! I'd run into members of this family before and they were generally all pompous fools. I gave a quick nod in his direction. "So, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I wanted to speak to Ro... Guardian Hathaway, but she's busy running, so I'll wait to speak to her later on." He just grinned at me and kept looking at me in a really weird way; it sort of made my skin crawl.... Was he checking me out? He just started to laugh to himself and then shook his head.

"I'd like to think that you'll have the guts, but I don't think you will...." I creased my forehead wondering what on earth he was going on about. Seeing my confusion, he elaborated. "I can tell you like her, but I just don't think you'll have the guts to do anything about it." He walked off laughing, leaving me staring after him with my mouth open. How in the hell did he pick that up? I didn't think I was that easy to read.

The next class went by in a blur, between what I'd said in Alto's class and what Ivashkov said near the gym...I don't think I hear a word that was said the whole time. Then I had the last class before lunch... Weight Training and Conditioning, I was actually looking forward to it as I could take out some of my frustrations in the weights. I walked in with another novice called Grayson Conta; he was one of the few Dhampirs whose parents were married, caused quite a stir too from what I've heard. Apparently I'd get to meet his father when he came to pick Gray up when school broke, quite the rebel apparently. We walked into the weights room and I saw her immediately, but she didn't look like she normally did, she looked rather detached.

Our normal teacher, Guardian Foster, paired us all up and pointed to the machines he wanted us to go to, and you guessed it, he sent Gray and me over to the area that Rose was waiting in. I didn't know if she'd say anything about what I'd said in Animal Behaviour or not.... probably not with Gray here. "Guardian Hathaway." I said in greeting. She looked over to me and gave a quick nod.

"Belikov. Conta. I want to see both of you do your warm-ups and then we'll start on the weights." She pointed at the floor without any other acknowledgement that we were even here. _Damn! _Oh well, I'll just have to think of something to get her talking again. Every so often, I would look over to her as I stretched, but I never caught her looking at me but she did have that same look that I'd seen on Guardian Petrov's face a _lot_! We finished our warm-ups and I immediately headed to the bench-press and Gray went to do some curls. She had to come over to me as anyone doing this needed a spotter.

"So, are you going to speak to me again?" I asked as I laid on the bench.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" She still had that look.

"You seem a little....angry."

"Keep going Belikov, I want to see three sets of twenty." I could see she was trying to keep what she really wanted to say under wraps.

"You're upset with me." I said it more as a statement rather than a question. I needed for her to know I realised that I'd crossed a line.

"No. I'm upset with _me_." Well, I most certainly wasn't expecting her to say that and I let the bar lay on my chest. She kept looking into my eyes and then she saw that I'd stopped lifting.

"Is it too heavy for you?" she asked. I could see she was holding in a laugh so I shook my head and lifted the weights; continuing with my count.

Rose's Point of View

As I came around the bend of the track I saw Adrian walk over and lean against the rail. I quickly looked at my watch and noticed that he wouldn't normally be up at this hour and I wondered why today.... As I got closer I could see he was looking at my aura...again!

"Looking good Little Dhampir." he said. I almost ignored him and kept running but I knew that would only make him more determined so I stopped. I was still a bit annoyed from earlier so I tried to collect myself before facing him... I knew if he saw my face he'd want to know what was wrong.

"I thought you'd still be in bed." I said as I turned around. He was grinning at me with that grin that used to make my heart beat faster.

"Yeah well....I didn't drink so much last night, so here I am... What ya doin'?" He asked. The

"Needlework...." I said, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well it looks like you've got a lot on your mind. You only run like that when you're either pissed at someone or have a lot to think about. And seeing as there isn't anyone laid out bleeding profusely on the ground, I would think that you have a lot on your mind. Wanna talk?" I actually wondered what he'd say if I told him the truth, as teasing as our relationship had become, we'd always been able to talk to one another. We'd tried at a relationship after we met at the ski lodge a few years ago and as much as we loved each other, it was a love that we both knew would only last if we weren't together; so we stayed friends instead of getting to the point where we ended up hating one another. I could feel my face flush as I thought about what had happened between Dimitri and I and I knew that I had to speak to someone. Then I noticed how he was looking at me...or more to the point, my aura.

"Stop checking me out Adrian." I said.

"Well my love, I'm afraid that I will _never_ stop checking you out, so you may as well get used it. And plus, you know it's not something that I try to do Rose, well most of the time I don't, I see aura's 24/7....." I narrowed my eyes and smiled as I saw his face... he enjoyed making me blush, especially if he thought there was a story to it.... I went to give him one of my trademark replies when I noticed someone walk around the corner of the gym; my heart sped up as I looked at the face that had been occupying my every thought lately. Of course Adrian saw my attention shift and looked around to see what had caught my eye. He looked back at me and smiled as he glanced all around me and then to my face. He lifted his eyebrows and I knew he'd seen something that I should have tried harder to hide.

"Always knew you liked trouble Rose....but a _student_?" Oh Crap! Yup he'd definitely seen....

"Piss off Adrian." I said screwing up my face at him. I decided to keep on running, hoping to avoid anymore of his questions. I knew that I wouldn't be able to avoid him for long, if I didn't see him later, then I would definitely see him once I went to sleep. I could hear him laughing behind me but I refused to look back at him. I was also hoping that Dimitri would have seen I had company and gone away too. I continued running for a little longer and thankfully no one else disturbed me. As I'd though, it did do me some good; I knew that I had to be more of a guardian, more of a mentor.... I had things to teach him, things that would hopefully one day save his life and that of his charge. I had to pull away from what I was starting to feel, suck it up and be the adult.... Okay, I know we weren't that much different in age, but as his teacher I was in the dominant position and I had to pull myself back. So, that's what I was determined to do. I went to go take a shower and as soon as I walked into the gym's bathroom, this morning's events flooded my mind. I shook my head and spun around and walked back up to my room which had its own small bathroom....no one would walk in on me there... hopefully!

Class period four was due to start twenty minutes after I got out of the shower, so I quickly got dressed and went down to the weight training building. I knew that he'd be in this class too, so I put myself into the right frame of mind.

"Guardian Hathaway..." Guardian Foster said as I walked in. "How's the training going?" I knew he meant with Belikov, and I just shrugged as I walked over to him, he obviously saw that I didn't want to talk about it. "Ah, would you mind staying at the bench-press today?

"Sure." I said. I walked over to wait for the novices to arrive. It didn't take long when the door opened and in they walked. I saw him come in with another novice, Gray Conta, nice kid.... I quickly turn my eyes away and looked across the room at nothing in particular. I heard Foster tell the kids which machines he wanted them to all go to and then I noticed who was walking my way.

"Guardian Hathaway." Dimitri said in greeting. I looked at him as plainly as I could and nodded at him, but shit he was distracting.

"Belikov. Conta. I want to see both of you do your warm-ups and then we'll start on the weights." I pointed at the floor where I wanted them to go and then continued to look around the room. After all, if I looked at his body while he warmed up, I would probably lose my determination to ignore him. They finished the stretches and he came straight over to me, Gray went to pick up the small weights for curls...

"So, are you going to speak to me again?" he asked quietly. I knew what he was referring to, but I couldn't let on....

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"You seem a little....angry." No...definitely not angry... just trying to keep control....

"Keep going Belikov, I want to see three sets of twenty." I said.

"You're upset with me." He continued. Do I tell the truth or do I let him believe that...? He had a look on his face like he was sorry for what he'd said in class....okay, truth it is.

"No. I'm upset with _me_." I said. Slight shock went across his face and he stopped lifting the bar with the weights on it; resting it on his chest. I waited to see if he was going to start up again but he didn't.

"Is it too heavy for you?" I asked him. I had a hard time keeping my face straight as I said this and I knew what his reaction would be; he shook his head and continued lifting; counting to himself. Standing at his head looking down on him, was probably not what I needed right now. With every lift I saw his chest harden, his arms were really well defined for his age and mentally I kept note of how many lifts he was up to. I really needed him to finish, but on the other hand I had to stop myself from telling him to do more... Finally he finished and I guided the bar over to the cradles that it sat in. He sat up and wiped his face with his small towel.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't...Well, I did but...I'm still sorry." He turned around to face me.

"I'll talk to you later." I said quietly. He nodded and then went to change with Gray. I made him do the same as Dimitri, but after the first fifteen lifts, he was struggling. I pulled the bar back and heard Dimitri giggle from the side. I looked over to him and shook my head but he just shrugged at me with a sly grin. I took off some of the weights and got Gray to start again. After they'd finished with me, I watched him walk to other apparatuses while I worked with other novices. When he got to the small 'speed bag' punching bag that was attached to a horizontal board, I couldn't help but look. He'd been working out hard for nearly an hour now and sweat had made his shirt cling to his amazing body. I saw one of the other novices go over to him and start to talk to him. I don't know what he said but Dimitri stopped punching and pulled his shirt off. _Oh My God!!! Put it back on!...._ I screamed in my own head. He started punching again and every muscle in his back flexed. It took every bit of my control to look away.

As I walked over to Guardian Foster, he looked up and smiled to me. "He's strong isn't he?" he asked. I gave him a look of confusion so he nodded to his left and I followed where he was looking to see Dimitri walking towards us.

"Yes, he is. He'll make an excellent guardian." Foster just nodded and then walked away from me, but before I could go as well, Dimitri came up behind me.

"Wanna go talk yet?" he asked. I didn't realise how close he was until he spoke almost directly in my ear. Knowing how close he was made me shiver slightly and I looked over to him and breathed in deep. This discussion would have to be done sooner or later so we may as well get it over and done with.

"If you'd like." I said. Everyone was now heading to the commons for lunch, but I wanted to be somewhere that I knew no one else would be. I walked into the gym and over to the desk that was at the far side but before I got there I felt him close behind me. I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to regain my former determination to keep this relationship strictly professional.

"I seem to always be apologising lately, even if I don't really mean it." _Crap, this was going to be harder than I thought...._

"So, you _weren't_ sorry?" I asked still with my back to him. He came around to stand in front of me and before I could do anything he reach his hand up under my chin to bring my face up to him. I took a step back from him not wanting what I thought I saw in his eyes.

"Not really." He said with a very small grin. "You can't deny that there is something between us." _Oh really, can't I?_

"Yes I can. Dimitri, I'm your mentor. I'm here to teach you how to survive, to give you the tools to fight for your life and that of your charge." He stepped closer to me again never taking his eyes off mine.

"I know. But that doesn't change what's going on....between us."

"There is no 'us', Dimitri. If you can't control yourself, then I can always get one of the other Guardian's to take over your training if you'd like." I saw his eyebrows knot for an instant and then relax again. A small smile tugged at his mouth as he thought of something.

"_I _can behave." He said. "But there is a deal I'd like to make." Oh this should be good... I tilted my head to the side and raised my eyebrows in question. "I want to spar, right now and if I can pin you, there won't be any more talk of reassigning another mentor." I smiled knowing that he was grasping at straws.

"And if I win?" He looked down at the floor, his eyes going back and forth as he thought. Then he smiled and looked at me from under his brows...

"I will take any punishment you can dish out, without a word of complaint." I had to laugh at this and I couldn't help the myriad of scenario's that flashed through my mind; I knew of many punishments that he couldn't have imagined in his worst nightmare. Yeah, this was going to be fun.

"Are you sure? I can punish you in _many_ ways that you may not have even thought of you know." I think he liked the sound of that, and even thought I too heard the double meaning to that statement, I didn't attempt to clarify.

"I'm sure." He said simply. I held my hand out to seal the deal.

"You know Belikov; didn't anyone tell you that you should never agree to something without knowing _all_ the rules, especially without reading the fine print?" A little bit of apprehension crossed his face but being the man I knew him to be, he just continued to smile at me.

"Alright then," he said, "what's the rules and fine print? I've already signed on the dotted line, I won't back out now, but I do need to know the rules." I started to walk over to the centre of the gym and at first he didn't follow me.

"Well, along with taking the punishment like a man," I said, "you have also agreed to not bring up these 'feelings' you think are between us again, nor are you to try anything on me....no matter what I do or say to you." I was going to have fun with this particular rule... He then started to walk over to me and stood about three feet away from me.

"Okay, but what if I win? Does that mean I can go back to....pushing my luck?" he asked still with a grin plastered on his gorgeous face. I nodded....I was so going to have to win this fight. I had a lot to lose.... "But before we fight...can I have one concession?" I narrowed my eyes at him wondering what on earth he could want. I nodded slowly, instantly regretting my lack of spine.... The grin that he been holding for the last few minutes now widened into a heart stopping 'light his face up' smile.... _Oh shit...what did I just agree to? _I thought... "One kiss, before the fight..." he saw that I was about to argue, only a couple of hours ago I'd told myself to draw a line...a line that wasn't to be crossed and now I'd just agreed to a kiss!! "Uh ah!" he said holding up a finger at me.... "You agreed...without finding out what the fine print was..." _SHIT! Smart ass....._

"Fine." He crossed the few feet between us and reached up putting both of his hands on my face, my heart jumped into overdrive as he bent down closing the gap between our lips but before they met he whispered to me....

"This is just so you know what you'll be missing if you _do_ happen to win." Then his lips touched mine. They were so soft and my eyes closed as his aftershave wafted around my head. I felt his tongue run along my lips and my hands came up to cover his of their own free will. My mouth opened and the instant his tongue touched mine, a bolt of electricity shocked down through my spine and I felt my body bend into his. What on earth was wrong with my body... every part of it was betraying my brain... _SHIT, SHIT, SHIT_. He pulled away and then gave one softer kiss before meeting my eyes. I could see that his eyes mirrored my feelings. "Wow...." he whispered.... _Yeah, wow! _Now I didn't know if I really _did_ want to win...

He let go of my face, which was now flushed red and backed away crouching into the fight stance. It took me a few seconds to pull myself together, but I crouched down and we started to circle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, I thought I'd be nice and put this up a day earlier than I had planned. ;-D  
Don't forget to review.... I'd love to know what you all think of the new and less inhibited Dimitri! hehehe**

**Sandy**

**Seven**

"I can tell what you're thinking you know Rose." He said.

"Oh really? And what would that be Dimitri?"

"Well, I know that you think I'm hot." I stopped moving and I stared at him in shock... _Bad _idea! He sprang forward, ramming his shoulder into my shoulder. It unbalanced me enough that I had to take a step back, but I recovered quickly enough to spin and ram my elbow into his back as he went past me. He groaned and rubbed his back as he stretched. "Quick..." he said with a grin. I said nothing and continued to circle. Seeing that I wasn't going to answer him, he continued. "You can't deny it; I've seen you looking at me when I train."

"Of course I look at you, you idiot. I'm training you; I have to know what you're doing so that I can train you properly." He grinned and shook his head. He took his eyes off me...._Big_ mistake. I ran a couple of steps towards him and he braced himself for my attack, though I didn't do what he thought I'd do, I dropped down and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He fell hard on the mats, but before I could pin him, he twisted from my grip and got back onto his feet. I back flipped up from my crouched position and landed on my hands, then continued to stand upright. He stared at me with an enormous grin, obviously my dexterity impressed him.

"Say what you want Rose... but I can see you struggling to keep yourself from doing _exactly_ what you want." He came at me again and as fast as he was, I was still faster and I was more precise. He got in a couple of hits, but he took the brunt of it, on the few occasions that I was able to get him down, he was slippery enough to get out of my grip and it was starting to annoy me. So I thought I'd change tactics; I stood up from my attack stance and slowly walked over to him. Seeing my change in stance, he relaxed.... mistake number two! _Never_ relax! I waited until I was only a couple of feet away from him and then punched him on his cheek, as he stumbled as I followed up with my best roundhouse kick and he fell to the ground; I quickly landed on top of him, but he was strong... I tried to pin him, but I must admit that even though I _was_ fighting him, I wasn't trying my hardest; with his body under me and his scent filling my senses, I was distracted just enough for him to gain the upper hand. Well...that's what I put it down to; there may have been a small part of me that wanted him to win. He manoeuvred his legs out from under me and was able to lever himself up off the mats, once I was off balance, it was an easy enough thing to flip me onto my back. He laid his body completely on top of mine; each of my wrists pinned to the floor by one of his hands, my legs were held securely by his but I could have probably got out from under him if I wasn't so preoccupied by his eyes....eyes that held me as firmly as his hands and legs were doing. "You're not trying Rose." He whispered as I lay under him panting.

My silence was all he needed... He smiled and slowly brought his lips to mine. _Oh SHIT! What are you doing you stupid woman.... _I thought to myself... But I just couldn't stop. The kiss which started out softly, rapidly became something more; something....needy. His tongue brushed along my lips, asking my mouth for acceptance which it did willingly and again, the moment our tongues touched, a shock exploded in my head. I easily slipped my arms out of his grip, because he did nothing to stop me, and they found their way into his hair, holding him tightly to my lips.

_ROSE!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? _Lissa's voice screaming in my head was the cold water that I so desperately needed.... I pulled him away from me by his hair and I squirmed out from under him. "Oh God!" I said breathlessly... "Oh God... What I've done?" I sat on the mat, with my back to him for a few seconds and then I jumped up and took off out of the gym. I shut my mind off completely from Lissa, she was the last person I needed screaming at me right now.....she'd just seen and felt _everything_! I ran as fast as I could, I didn't care where I was going, I just kept running. How in the _hell_ was I going to salvage what little respect I had left after what had just happened? I had gone deep into the trees that surrounded the academy so I stopped running and leant up against a tree; heart and breathing going wild, my hands held against my closed eyes.... "You stupid, stupid, _STUPID_...idiotic...._shit_ for brains...._moron_ Rose... How could you be so _stupid_...? _SHIT_!" I slid down the tree and let silent tears fall down my cheeks. I was so mad for letting myself feel something for someone else. I am a _guardian_..._Lissa's_ guardian and as such, had no room in my life for...._this_. Why would I let myself feel something for another person when I knew that nothing could come of it? And worse still...I knew he felt something too. _Damn it!_

I waited until the sun was high in the sky to make my way back to the school. It was now midnight Moroi time, nearly everyone should be in bed so I walked slowly back. I walked across the quad and headed towards the Guardian dorm and as I got near the building, I saw movement off to the left; Dimitri stepped out from behind the bushes. He made no attempt to come any closer, nor did he say anything, but I saw the worry in his eyes. I couldn't speak to him at the moment; I needed time... so after a few tense seconds, I pulled my eyes away from his and walked into the building. I saw out of the corner of my eye, Dimitri's head drop but he'd forced the issue....not me. I got to my room and opened the door; on the floor was a folded piece of paper so I bent down and picked it up. I opened it up and written on it was a simple hand written statement. _I __am__ sorry. But I won._ I was staring at the note as I closed my door, my emotions swirling like a whirlpool as I walked to my bed with my eyes closed in frustration...what was I going to do? My heart nearly stopped as I opened my eyes and saw Lissa lying on my bed, her green eyes staring at me.

"SHIT Liss...are you trying to give me a heart attack? What on earth are you doing here?" She raised her eyebrows at me in question.

"You really need to ask me that, do you? You've been blocking me ever since.... So this is the only other way I can talk to you." She laid there and stared at me. "What happened?" She didn't ask this in an accusing or condescending way, I let the barriers that I'd built before fall away considering she was now here, and through the bond I knew that she held no judgement. As I went to sit on the bed, she scooted over so that I could lie beside her.

"I don't know where to start Liss."

"You really like him, don't you?" I reluctantly nodded and looked into her eyes to see what she really thought.

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm _your_ guardian and _his_ mentor. It doesn't matter what I feel." Her brow creased as she took my hands in hers.

"Rose, that's where you're wrong, your feelings _do_ matter."

"No they don't Liss. I'm a promised Guardian, assigned to you, the last Dragomir Princess. Any assignment that I would have been given would have been important, but being your guardian....that's a whole different kettle of fish... not only because of who you are, but because you are my best friend, my sister. Your safety demands that my complete attention is focused 100% on you at all times, not on....someone else." She took a deep breath and thought about what I'd just said, and at one point I didn't think she was going to say anything at all, but she did.

"Rose, you know I love you and you're right, you are my sister. But I know you, I know that you of all people are perfectly capable of being 100% my guardian while still having room in your life for a love that is all your own." I stared at her in disbelief....what was she going on about? "I know how lonely you've been since Adrian. I really did wish that things between you had worked out, but you could never be with any Moroi, they would _never_ be strong enough to keep up with you, Dimitri on the other hand...." she said with a grin. My face flushed as I thought about him.

"Thank you Liss, for understanding. But I can't; I _need_ to be his teacher, I _need_ to teach him how to survive and how to ensure that whoever he is assigned to survives as well and to do that properly I can't be anything other than his mentor. Plus, could you imagine if we were found out! Gees... Kirova would have a heart attack!" then I raised my eyebrows, "Hmmm.....it might just be worth it actually." I said jokingly and Lissa giggled.

"Well, you'll do what you think is best, as always, but just know that if you want to take things...further, then it's fine with me." I smiled as I looked into the eyes of my best friend.

"Thank you. But go to sleep, you don't have long before you need to get up again." She leant over and kissed my cheek and then closed her eyes. Me on the other hand found sleep elusive. I may have nodded off here and there, but my eyes were open when the alarm went off. I quickly turned it off and slipped out of the bed, leaving Lissa asleep. I quietly went into the bathroom and showered, maybe that would wake me up a little after my disastrous, sleepless night. I came out of the bathroom to see Liss sitting on the window sill.

"I didn't think you'd be awake yet, sorry if I woke you." I said.

"It's alright; I have to get back to my own room anyway." She was looking at me sheepishly and I tried to see what was going on in her head, but she was blocking me.

"What?" I said. She smiled, shook her head and then looked back out the window.

"Well, I have a feeling that you may not get to your practice session un-accosted." I growled under my breath as I walked over to the window. Looking down I saw Adrian staring up at me with his trademark grin, at least it wasn't the other one... I shook my head at him and then turned around to get dressed. I pulled on my Lycra training pants, my black tank top and trainers and pulled my hair up into a pony tail. Lissa walked downstairs with me but left as soon as we walked outside... Adrian had come around to the front of the building to wait for me.

"Good morning Little Dhampir." He said smiling. He held out a muffin but his eyes were going up and down my body.

"Thanks, but if you keep looking at me like that, you may find yourself in a lot of pain." He laughed out loud then, but did stop looking at my aura. "Why are you here at this time of the morning, I know for a fact that you should still be in the land of Nod." I said as we walked to the gym.

"Well, I got a little worried. I came to see you last night, but you weren't in your room. I thought you might have slept somewhere else," I looked at him as I heard his double meaning, "so I went back to my room and tried all night to share your dreams....but you weren't asleep...all night! What kept you up my love?" I was tired and I could really picture myself wiping that stupid smirk off his face.

"Well, what kept me up is none of your business stalker boy, but as you saw from my window, I _was_ in my room last night...with Lissa."

"This morning maybe, but not last night. Still confused I see.... You do know that even though we may not share everything like we used to, you can still talk to me if you need to." He said sincerely. I hated it when he did that, it made me want to open up....he was naturally charismatic because he was a spirit user, and _that_ little talent never diminished.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Adrian." I didn't look at him as I spoke, but he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him.

"I can _see_ how much you like him. And to be honest, I'm a little jealous. I never saw _this_ strong a reaction when we were together. Has he kissed you yet?" My face flushed furiously as I thought of our last kiss... "Oh, he has.... And by the looks of you, it was...._nice!_" I looked at him, but the smirk had changed into a genuine smile. "You deserve to be happy Rose, everyone does. I will always love you, as I know you love me, but I can see what you feel for him _and_ what he feels for you." Then the smirk was back and he turned and walked away.

"Mongrel!" I yelled out to him. He looked back and laughed at me, but kept on walking. Okay, the two most important people in my life were telling me to go for it. And I must admit that I really wanted to take their advice, but I had a job to do and if I cared for him at all, I had to put my feelings aside and teach him what had to be taught. I walked into the gym and went over to the store room that held the practise dummies. I brought two out and placed them in the centre of the gym floor. The whole time I was setting up I thought about what I'd say to him when he got here. I still had ten minutes before he was due to arrive so I went out to the small kitchen and made myself a coffee. It went down rather nice so I stood against the counter and let myself relax as the warmth slowly made its way around my body. After I finished I walked back out into the main gym area and saw Dimitri on the floor doing his stretches. He looked up as I entered but said nothing.

"Good morning." I said.

"Morning." He said back tentatively. He kept looking at me while we both stretched but he was waiting for me to start speaking. Fine!

"What happened yesterday - can't happen again. I know you've spent the last couple of years outside, but you were damn lucky that neither of you were killed. You're strong, but you lack the skill to survive and to keep Christian alive. I need to know that when you leave here, you will be the best that you can be." He just looked at me and thought about what I said.

"And I will be, but that doesn't mean..."

"Yes, it does." I interrupted. I got up off the floor and walked over to the dummies. "Come over here." I said as I walked. He got up and came to stand on the other side of the female dummy. "Where is the heart?"

"Here." He placed his hand over the dummies chest, slightly off the heart.

"Are you sure?" I asked. He looked at where his hand was and moved it to where it should have been. "Have you used one of these before?" I asked holding up my stake.

"No. We left before our training with them started." I nodded and then started talking about how to hold it, what it would be like to push it into a strigoi chest... and then I gave him a display of how to get it between the ribs and into the heart. I finally gave him the stake and watched as he practiced on the two dummies. His strength _was_ good, but his technique was sloppy and I could see that I was going to have to give him exercises to do to strengthen his wrists, so I made a mental note to tell Mike Foster, the teacher of the weight class. Just as our hour was nearly up, he brought up the subject that I'd hoped he'd forget... "So are we going to talk about what happened or are we going to ignore it?"

"Well....I thought we'd give the second option a try." He narrowed his eyes at me and just stared.

"Fine." He said. Then he walked away and went into the bathroom with his gym bag. _I wonder if he remembers his towel...._ I thought to myself with a smile. I took the dummies back to the store room and was walking towards the gym doors when I heard talking coming from the bathroom. I went up close to the doors and heard him speaking in Russian, unfortunately I had no idea what he was saying, but by the tone...it didn't sound real good. Just as I was about to walk away I thought I heard him say 'stubborn female'.... _Stubborn!!! I'm _not stubborn... just focused, I was doing this for his own well being. Just then I heard his phone ring.

"Hello...." he answered.  
"Oh, hi Christian, what's up man." There was a pause in the conversation when he was listening to Christian.  
"I'm at the gym, I'll be there soon."  
"No, I haven't had the chance to ask her yet."  
"I said I will, so I will...."  
"Oh...well, practice went a little longer than usual and now I've just got out of the shower, so if you'll let me go, I'll get dressed so I can meet you."

The thought of seeing him in nothing but a towel was tempting, I smiled as I thought about doing the same to him as he'd done to me.... _should I?...... _"Why not!" I said under my breath. I walked away from the door so that I could put enough momentum into it so that it didn't look fake....and walked on in.... As I pushed the doors open I had my head down looking like I was in my own world; I looked up and saw him in all his glory.... he'd finished his conversation with Christian and was about to get dressed, with no towel in sight! The look on his face was somewhere in between shock and smugness... Not really what I was hoping for... and he was making no attempt to cover himself up either... but at least now we were even. I glanced down and blushed furiously... _damn..._ "Oh...sorry... I thought you'd be finished by now..." I said as I turned around grinning... Well, no matter what he'd think now....seeing him like _that _was worth it. I pushed the doors open and walked out.

_Rose!...what did you just do? _Asked Lissa through the bond. I then walked out of the gym laughing softly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay... This chapter is a little on the short side, but it was actually part of a bigger chapter... So I thought I'd split it so I could update quicker! hehehe  
Anyway, I hope you like this one and the next one... Ch 9 is a ripper!!! hehehe (Aussie for Fantastic!) LOL**

**Enjoy, Sandy**

**Eight.**

As I ran out of the gym I smiled at the memory of what I'd just seen. The adrenaline rush I'd just received made up a bit for my lack of sleep. Not only at the fact that I'd finally got to see his stunning body, but also that I had evened up the playing field a little. He'd seen _me_, and now I'd seen _him_... Even! I checked to see where Lissa was and found that she was just leaving the teachers building, so I picked up my pace so that we'd have a little more 'talk time'. As I rounded the building, I saw her walking towards me.

"What did you do? Please, don't tell me that you did that on purpose? Rose?" she said with her head tilted to the side... I didn't say anything, after all what could I say? "_Rose_!"

"What? You told me not to tell you..." I put on my puppy dog face feigning innocence, but she just narrowed her eyes at me.

"You are so bad Rose Hathaway..."

"How much did you see?" I asked her.

"More than I ever want to see again! It's been a long time since I had to put up those barriers." Seeing my confused face she explained further... "The barriers that keep me out of your head when you suddenly get all hot and heavy. Although, I must say that they certainly build them big in Russia, don't they?"

"That they do Liss...that they do." Again I smiled at the image that was now forever etched in my brain...

"Seriously though, if you're going to get jiggy with the huge Russian, can you please give me some warning next time?" I stopped walking and my mouth gaped, then suddenly my laughter took me over... you know that sort of laughing that brings tears to your eyes and makes your stomach sore... I bent down putting my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath as I laughed. I could feel her annoyance come through the bond, but it did have a touch of amusement with it.

"It wasn't that funny Rose." She said trying to keep a straight face.

"You just said....jiggy..." I said while gasping... "Can you please...not say 'jiggy' again Liss..."

"Why _not_? You say it all the time." Standing upright, I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders.

"It's just not the same coming out of your mouth." Then I started laughing all over again.

"Well, if laughing is all you're going to do, then I'm going to talk to people who actually _want_ to hear what I've got to say." She started to walk off so I grabbed her arm and walked beside her.

"I'm sorry; I really do want to hear what you have to say. You know I do." I said with a wink.

"Mmm. So, changing subjects..... What are you going to do about your 'situation'?" She had this way of sobering me up sometimes; I really was going to have to learn how she did that.... I knew what she meant, so I just had to think of a good reply...

"I don't know really, probably what I always do in these sorts of 'situations', ignore it!" She stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Rose, ignoring it won't make it go away. I've felt _your_ feelings and I've seen his plastered all over his face, this 'situation' isn't going to go away of its own accord, it's going to have to be settled one way or the other...and soon." I hated it when she was right. But I had no idea how to settle it, and she knew it. "Listen, I have to go or I'm going to be late, but can we meet later and talk more?"

"Yeah, meet me in the commons at lunch, I'm rostered on there. I'm patrolling this morning, so I may see you later on anyway." She nodded and gave me a parting hug. I watched her walk away and then went to start my patrol. At least it would give me some time to think things through.

* * *

**Dimitri's Point Of View,**

Sometimes I wondered why I was putting myself in for a life as a guardian. My best friend was Christian and we'd been through a lot together, but he really could be an impatient ignoramus sometimes. He was so wrapped up in getting to know the Princess he couldn't see what I was going through...okay, so I hadn't told him anything about it, but shit....I thought he would have seen that _something_ was going on with me. I was a little annoyed after his phone call, _'Where are you?' 'I need you to come here,' 'have you asked about the princess?' 'Why aren't you here yet?'_ Yadda, yadda, yadda! He can be so friggin annoying sometimes... I put the phone down and was about to grab my boxers when the doors to the bathroom swung open. I couldn't believe she chose this point in time to walk in. At first I thought it was a little too coincidental, but she looked like she was in her own world, then she looked up and saw me standing in front of her....in the raw! Her eyes bugged as they quickly took in my body... I wasn't exactly embarrassed, but seeing that she liked what she saw gave me a little thrill. I think she thought I'd cover myself, but hey... I'm male, and have _nothing_ to be ashamed of.

"Oh...sorry," she said. Something about the way she said that made me think that she really wasn't. "I thought you'd be finished by now..." then she quickly turned around and left. But she wasn't quick enough; I smiled to myself as I caught her grin. _I knew it! _She did this on purpose.... "Gotcha!"I said to myself. After she left the bathroom, I couldn't get the smile off my face because no matter what she said from now on... I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her. _And_ I had won.... she agreed that if I won the spar, then there'd be no more talk of another mentor, and I could continue 'pushing my luck'....

"Game on teach." I muttered to myself. I was on my way to my weight class when I ran into Christian.

"Well..." he said impatiently.

"I didn't get a chance to ask." I said. "After I hung up from you...she had to leave. She's normally in my next class, so if she's there, I'll ask her then, okay!" Yup! Annoying....

"Okay." He said. He started to walk away but then he turned around to me. "Hey, what's with the grin? Been a long time since I've seen you grin like that...who is she?" So he did notice...

"Don't know what you mean."

"Sure you don't." He walked back to me and cocked an eyebrow at me. "Spill Belikov. Last time I saw you like this, you had female on your brain."

"Like what Christian?"

"You may not think I've been paying attention, but I have. The last couple of weeks your attention has been elsewhere, even Cassie throwing herself at you hasn't made any difference. Who is she?" I couldn't stop the smirk that spread over my face as I thought of Rose.

"I'll let you know if anything comes of it." Christian punched me in the shoulder and shook his head.

"Knowing you as well as I do, I expect an explanation tonight."

"Yeah, whatever." I turned and walked away. As I did, I saw Rose with the princess; Rose was in hysterics...that was a good sign. Or was it? I really hoped there wasn't something about me she thought was that funny. They hugged and went separate ways, but Rose wasn't heading to the weights room. I stood there deciding on if I should ditch my next class or if I should talk to Rose.... I had an excuse to go talk to her after all.... I chose the latter! I saw where she was heading and I knew I was closer so I went around the back way to the track. I walked to the rail and leant up against it; hopefully she would see me and would come over to talk.

"Shouldn't you be in weight training?" I heard her say behind me. I turned to face her and saw that she was in her guardian mode.

"Yeah, but I needed to talk to you." Her face changed ever so slightly, so I continued before she had a chance to become defensive. "Christian's been bugging me about the Princess." She shook her head and walked over to lean against the railing beside me.

"Really....and what's he want to know?"

"Well, he wants to know if you think she'd say yes if he asked her out to the dance." I looked over to her and saw that she was smiling.

"She might. The only way he's going to know is if he grows some balls and asks." I couldn't help but laugh at her choice of words. "Personally, I think if you don't have the guts to go after what you want then you don't deserve to get it in the first place." I watched her eyes dart around as she realised what she'd just said. She admires those who have guts. I quickly glanced around and seeing that no one was around, I spun around pinning her between me and the rail.

"Really. Does that go for me too?" I could see the battle going on behind her eyes, should she, shouldn't she?

"No."

"Why?"

"Because what _we_ want doesn't matter. We're guardians." She said simply. I admired her dedication and commitment to the Princess, but I was equally determined to get her to admit her feelings, maybe even act on them.

"I'm not a guardian yet. Did you get my note?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"And do you remember the terms of our...agreement?" Her eyes narrowed a little but she said nothing, so I leant forward so that our faces were only inches apart. "I _will_ hold you to it. I can see it in your eyes you know, how you feel. And I know you walked into the bathroom on purpose, but I don't mind." I could see her breathing speed up as I continued to stare into her eyes. She was fighting so hard to keep control and a little voice told me to back off, but me being me had to keep going. "Why can't you just admit it?" I whispered. It took a few seconds, but she reached up and grabbed my hair as she pulled me into the best kiss I've ever had in my life. I eagerly returned it but it was over much too soon. I felt her stop beneath my lips so I pulled away. She ducked out under my arm and walked towards the gym, so I followed. She stopped a few steps inside and then turned to me. I didn't know what to expect really, she'd either talk or she was about to kill me.

"You're not going to make this easy are you?" She said. I smiled at her and shook my head. She walked over to me, stopping inches away. "It doesn't _matter_ how I feel about you, _or_ what I want to happen between us, the fact is that nothing _can_ happen." _Was that an admission?_

"Why? I won't tell if you don't." I knew I was pushing it, but hey....that was the deal wasn't it? I could see she was thinking her next step carefully so I said nothing more; I just kept my eyes locked with hers. I could be patient....sort of. After a few tense moments of watching her think, her face changed...she relented, I could see it in her eyes, this was my opening. "So....do you have the balls?" I saw the faintest smile tug at her lips but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Do you?" She challenged me as she walked past towards the doors. "I'll let Guardian Foster know you're late because of me." Okay....so it _is_ my move hey! I walked out after her and followed her at a distance around to the classroom buildings; the back view was just as good as the front... We walked into the weights room and I walked over to Gray as she went to Foster. As she walked past me to leave, she glanced at me and said.... "Later Belikov."

"What's going on later Dimitri?" Gray asked.

"Training." I said as I started doing my weights. _Amongst other things... _I thought to myself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, well... seeing as you are all such wonderful people and review like crazy, I thought I'd post this a day early! :-D  
I hope you like it... I had fun writing it... So enjoy everyone, and thank you all so much for your reviews.  
I love reading what you think of the story.  
Sandy**

**Nine**

Rose's point of View.

"So, how's Belikov going?" asked Alberta.

"Good. I've told Mike that he needs to incorporate some more exercises to strengthen his wrists, but other than that, he just needs to refine his movements. He's still putting too much effort into some of his hits when he doesn't need to, but that will come with more experience." Mike was the guardian who took the weight training class.

"Mmm. I was actually planning on a training exercise for one day soon. Maybe take some of the novices and a couple of the Moroi to the mall. I know that Rinaldi girl and some of her friends want to get some dresses for the dance." I screwed my nose up at the mention of that girl... she was such a stuck up snob...well nothing out of the normal for a Moroi I suppose, but she wasn't even a royal though she tried to act like one. "Oh, by the way, had Adrian told you that his little sister is coming here?"

"No... He didn't! When?" Hope Ivashkov was eighteen years old, five years younger than Adrian and the spitting image of him too, although she was a water user. Up until now, she'd been at an Academy up north somewhere. Just then Lissa walked in and sat down in the empty chair beside me.

"Hi everyone." She said. Everyone loved Lissa; her charisma drew everyone to her without the least bit of effort on her part, all part in parcel of the wonders of spirit. Everyone said their hellos and some of the guardians that were sitting at my table got up to leave; they still had this thing about mixing with royalty unless invited. "How's things Alberta?"

"Good thank you Princess." After all this time, we still couldn't get or the other guardians to call her Lissa... one or two called her Vasilissa, but that was as close as it got, everyone else called her by her title.... "How's the spirit class going?"

"Good actually, Adrian's been popping in a few times lately and helping out, which some of the guys have actually responded to. I think he's enjoying it too, although, you know Adrian....wouldn't admit to actually having fun." We all laughed at that...

"Oh, that reminds me Liss... Did he tell you that his sister is coming here?"

"No... What's her name?"

"Hope. She's eighteen so this will be her final year. I don't know why she didn't finish at her other academy though."

"Apparently she got sprung drinking too many times..." Alberta said. Lissa and I just stared at each other and then rolled our eyes.....

_Oh man...she sounds like she is going to be so much like her brother.... _Lissa said...

_You have no idea Liss... _We had a little giggle amongst ourselves and I looked up to see Dimitri and Christian walk in with a group of novices. _Hey Liss....Your secret admirer just walked in... _She spun around and saw the novices and then turned back to me with a smile...

_You mean Christian?_

_Yes I mean Christian... I told you ages ago that he liked you, and the other day I said that your admirer was hot! Don't you listen to anything I say to you? _She shrugged her shoulders and looked back to Christian, who...might I say was doing his own fair share of staring....

"Well, if you two are going to talk between yourselves, I'm going..."

"Oh, we're sorry Alberta... Half the time we don't even realise we're doing it. Stay..." I said.

"No, I've got to get going anyway. I have to catch up with my paperwork." She said with a sigh. We nodded and said our goodbyes.

"So, have you decided if you're going to let anything happen or not?" Lissa asked me once she was gone.

_Well... let's just say that I'm going to keep our trainings as professional as they need to be but I probably won't object as hard as I have been if he makes another move._ She grinned widely at me and then started to jump around in her seat. "Liss, sit still... you're making people look..."

"Rose Hathaway, you _cougar_!"

_Oh, you're one to speak.... Christian is younger than you too!_ She looked back at where he was sitting and then back to me with an eyebrow raised...

"I know! Cool huh!" I just shook my head. "I have to go to the feeders, you coming?" She asked, I nodded to her and then I walked over to the other table with the guardians and told them that I was going with Lissa and would be back soon. We walked over to the feeder room at the back of the commons and she signed in. We walked over to the chairs to wait and who should walk in but Christian and his rather large shadow.

_Fireboy is here Liss... Would you like a little space? _I looked at her and she smiled. _Don't scare him off too soon you vixen... _She punched my arm and I couldn't help but laugh...

_If you'd like, I could organise a room for you as well._ I stared at her with my mouth open and as I turned around I saw Dimitri watching us in amusement. _By the looks on his face I think he'd rather enjoy it. _I pulled a face telling her to stop it, but it just made her laugh even more... I shook my head as I walked over to Dimitri.

"What were you two talking about?" he asked, "was it about me?" Before I knew it my cheeks started to blush... I really hated my body sometimes... "Oh, it _was_... interesting! So you told the Princess about me hey, that's good to know." His whole face lit up in amusement at this juicy new bit of info. He didn't look at me, he just grinned as he watched Lissa and Christian talk.

"Don't get yourself all worked up big boy...." he then turned his grin in my direction at my new nickname for him. "I actually left her to give Christian a chance." I looked over to see that they seemed to be in a deep conversation. He was taller than her by a few inches but looking at them together like this...I could see them being a really cute couple. Just then they were both called over to a feeder.

"How much does she know?" he asked. As I thought about what to tell him, an idea popped into my head....

"Well, after she saw you...in your birthday suit, she said that she'd seen enough." I glanced over and saw his eyes shut and his face screwed up in a sort of wince... Ah... embarrassment – Russian style... finally!

"What else has she...seen?"

"Oh, most of it..." I looked up to his eyes which now looked down at me in....amusement, satisfaction... maybe a bit of both, but the embarrassment was now definitely gone. "Enough to put you off?" I asked him.

"Hell no!" he said with a very cocky smile... "Always wondered what it would be like to have someone watch." My eyes widened at him in disbelief.... "I'm joking... shit..." he laughed, he had a wonderful laugh. "But no, I couldn't imagine anything that would put me off _you_ Rose." As Christian and Lissa walked towards us, Dimitri leant closer to me and whispered in my ear... "Later Hathaway, much, much later." It was what I'd said to him in weight class, but before I could ask what _he_ meant, the others walked up to us.

"Guardian Hathaway." Said Christian in greeting.

"Hello Christian. So..." I said trying to raise my eyebrows. "Is it all settled then?"

_ROSE! _Said Lissa through the bond.

"_What?_" I asked her out loud. I kept my eyes on hers as a grin spread across my face. _So did he ask you out? _I asked through the bond.

_Yes he did...._

_And??? _But she wouldn't tell me and when I tried to have a look for myself, she had her barriers up... That's so not fair. Two can play at that game... "So Christian...what did she say? She won't tell me."

_You bag!_ I couldn't help but laugh... and the totally confused look on Christians face made it all even funnier...

"Ah...well..." he said as he looked back to Lissa.

_I said yes, okay! _She said silently.... _But we have to keep it quiet... You know the student/teacher thing... _

"Excellent..." I said and then I walked out back into the commons and walked over to the buffet to get something else to eat.

I was feeling rather pleased with myself over Lissa... it was about time she started dating again. I didn't know Christian all that well, but he seemed alright. The rest of the school day went by without too much happening and strangely the training session with Dimitri went by without him trying anything, it was really weird, I kept waiting for him to do or say something but he never did.... But it was good sign; hopefully he was getting it why we needed to keep things professional. After he left I went back up to my room so that I could shower and change, I was starving and dinner was in an hour. As I walked up the hallway I noticed that my door was slightly open....

"What in the hell..." I said under my breath. I walked up and pushed the door open, the room was pitch black, but I didn't remember pulling the curtains when I left. I slowly walked in, ready to take any attack and as I closed the door with one hand, I clicked on the light with the other. Standing in front of me was Dimitri, holding a peace lily in one hand. Beside him was my table, covered in a gold tablecloth with a lily centre piece and candles and it was set for two.

"I said I'd see you later." He said. He looked amazing; he had on denims and a _very_ sexy and _very_ tight white t-shirt. Whatever food he had, I probably wouldn't taste it with him sitting in front of me, but it certainly smelt good.

"You did. How did you...?" I started to ask, but he quickly walked in front of me and put a finger against my lips and shook his head.

"Come on, it'll get cold." He led me over to the table and pulled out a chair, and then he went over to my little kitchenette and pulled out two plates with silver domes over them. He placed one in front of me and lifted the lid. I couldn't hold my smile in as a big juicy steak sat looking up at me. He sat opposite to me and I noticed he had the same meal. "After you." He said with a smirk. I started to eat and it was as delicious as it smelt.... When we'd finished he got up and came back with two black forest cakes. _How did he know this was my favourite? _And it too was delicious. My hunger was now satisfied and I was about to start asking him how he got all this done when he got up and walked around to my side of the table. He held out a hand and I had to decide then and there if I was going to let this go any further like I told Lissa I would... I looked up into his eyes and then took his hand. He pulled me into his arms and he reached around behind his back and suddenly music started playing softly in the background... I didn't recognise the song...

"What's this?"

"A song I heard a little while ago. By an Aussie singer, Guy Sebastian....it's called, 'Angels Brought Me Here. Just listen to the words Rose." Then he took my hand in his and wrapped the other around arm tighter around my waist. Slowly we started to move to the music and I listened to the words...

It's been a long and winding journey, but I'm finally here tonight  
Picking up the pieces, and walking back into the light  
Into the sunset of your glory, where my heart and future lies  
There's nothing like that feeling, when I look into your eyes...

My dreams came true; when I found you  
I found you, my miracle...

If you could see, what I see, that you're the answer to my prayers  
And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel  
You would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here...

I was anchored in his eyes as the words of the song flowed into my ears... He bent down but stopped just before kissing me, waiting to see if I was going to object, but when I did nothing but look into his eyes, he smiled and softly put his lips to mine and I responded in kind... but before I got too carried away I put up my barriers... I wanted no interruptions, not this time. The kiss deepened as I wound my fingers into his hair, and with his arms pressing every inch of my body to his, there was nothing between us but our clothes. Things were getting a little hot, and with the speed that I'd wished he'd used in practice, he reached down and pulled me up into his arms by the back of my thigh...

Next thing I knew, my back was against the wall and my arms were around his neck. His mouth kissed down my neck as one hand started to undo the buttons on my shirt. Each time his fingers touched my skin, they sent tiny shocks through me, I grabbed at his shirt and pulled it completely off. I couldn't think of anything but his mouth and tongue which was playing expertly between my lips, ears and neck as his hands reached around and undid my bra. They soon slipped underneath it and I let out a soft moan as he cupped one of my breasts..... I put my feet back to the ground and I let out a soft sigh as his hand traced down my stomach and found the button to my pants. I knew I should probably stop now, but I just didn't want to.... My black slacks fell to the ground as I felt his thumb hook into my underpants. My hands went to work getting rid of the rest of his clothing and once they were gone, I jumped back up, wrapping my legs around him. "Are you sure?" he asked. I looked into his eyes for a second before bringing my lips back to his in reply... As I felt him enter my body, I let out a moan that was a little louder than I would have liked, and........

And then I bolted upright in my bed panting heavily..... _**"HOLY SHIT!"**_ I gasped as I looked around at my empty room.... I dropped my head into my hands as I sat on my bed panting.... "It was a dream.... _THAT_ was one hell of dream... Holy _SHIT_!" It took me ages to get myself under control and slowly I remembered that I'd come in and fallen asleep instead of taking a shower, I'd just dreamt my whole night with him... Man was I pissed!!!

_Rose? What on __earth__ are you doing? Are you....with someone? _Lissa said through the bond.

_Well yes._..._ and no.... _I said as I felt more annoyed than I'd been in a long time...


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay... Finally I get some time to update! Well, most of you guys want to wait a little longer to see Rose give in... Sooooo....  
Let the teasing continue! hehehe  
Sorry for taking so long... And thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. I love them!**

**Sandy**

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**Previously on Alternate Universe... ;-D**

And then I bolted upright in my bed panting heavily.... **_"HOLY SHIT!"_** I gasped as I looked around at my empty room.... I dropped my head into my hands as I sat on my bed panting.... "It was a dream.... _THAT_ was one hell of a dream... Holy _SHIT_!" It took me ages to get myself under control and slowly I remembered that I'd come in and fallen asleep instead of taking a shower, I'd just dreamt my whole night with him... Man was I pissed!!!

_Rose? What on earth are you doing? Are you...with someone? _Lissa said through the bond.

_Well yes....and no.... _I said as I felt more annoyed than I'd been in a long time....

* * *

**Ten**

_What's that supposed to mean? _She asked me. _I know you're not with Dimitri...._

_How do you know that? _I asked getting more annoyed by the second.

_Because I'm looking at him right now, that's how._

_Where are you? _

_Eating, but I'm about to head over to Adrians, wanna meet me there?_

_Yeah...._ I needed to get out of my room and I knew that at least Adrian would take my mind of things... especially the large, incredibly handsome Russian that I couldn't get out of my head.... I got up and took a quick shower, which was wonderful by the way.... I felt like being a girl for the night, so instead of the normal guardian outfit or jeans and tank top, I pulled out my favourite dress... I'd bought it a few years ago actually, but I still looked hot in it. It was a slinky black halter neck dress; the top half split all the way down to the top of my stomach and the hem only came down just enough to cover my butt, I had to remember not to bend over, otherwise Adrian and Liss would cop an eyeful... I grinned at the thought of what Adrian would say.... I grabbed my heels and walked over to his small apartment.

"Well, hello little Dhampir," his eyes went down taking in my appearance. "All for me?"

"It used to be." I said as I flashed my best man eating smile...

"Ouch!" he screwed his face up in mock hurt as he put a hand over his heart... "Kick a man when he's down why don't you my love."

"Well, only if you really want me to. Bend over Ivashkov and take it like a man!" I only just got that out while keeping a straight face.

"You first Rose... you first." Finally the giggle I'd been suppressing escaped....

"I'll pass thanks... been there, done that, got the t-shirt to prove it too..." I said as I pushed past him and walked into the apartment. With his connections, Adrian was able to get one of the best rooms at the academy, only Kirova's would have been better I think. I hadn't even turned to go into the lounge room when I smelt a familiar scent. "Who's here Adrian?" His grin spread across his face...

"Me... Lissa and a couple of friends." I narrowed my eyes at him as I realised that he and Lissa had probably arranged this, and here I was in the sexiest dress I owned. _Damn it!!! _

"You shit!"I heard him laugh softly behind me as he shut the door. I turned the corner and saw him immediately, only problem I had at the moment was the color of my cheeks as I saw in his eyes what he was thinking. I could tell he _really_ liked my dress... a _LOT_. My recent dream flooded into my brain as I looked into his eyes. I swallowed hard as I tore my eyes away from him to speak to Lissa.

_You tricked me._

_I did NOT! When you asked me where I was, I __was__ eating.... and I didn't lie when I told you I was coming here..._

_You didn't say you were bringing...stragglers! _She grinned at me and shook her head.

_Would you have come if I'd told you they were coming too?_

_NO... well, I might have, but I wouldn't have put __this__ on! _With that she laughed out loud. Adrian was smiling as he looked between us, so I gave him a death glare too, he could always tell when we spoke between ourselves, apparently our auras glowed! Dimitri looked amused and Christian just looked confused. We must have looked really odd... No-one was speaking, just glaring, pulling funny faces and laughing... to someone on the outside we must have looked like we'd just escaped from some mental asylum. I looked over to Dimitri and wondered why he hadn't told Christian more about us.

"Haven't you told him yet...about us?" I said motioning to Christian, Dimitri's face dropped and his eyes darted around the room at the same time I heard Lissa gasp in shock. Then I realised what I'd just said, so I tried to fix it as best I could... "About Lissa's and my bond?" Dimitri let out the breath that he'd held in a few seconds ago and shook his head. I turned back to Christian who was sitting beside Lissa looking like someone who'd just lost his best friend. "Well, if you're going to go out with my best friend, there are a few things you need to know." I told him all about our bond, how it started, how it worked and what we could do. At the start of the story his face was fairly blank, but as I got into it a bit more, a smile appeared and it only got bigger the further into the story I got!

"That would have to be _the_ most _wicked_ thing I have ever heard! That is frikkin unreal!" Then he turned to Lissa, "I knew you were amazing the moment I laid eyes on you." I felt a rush of emotion through the bond then... she _felt_ amazing at his words. She felt special, it was almost voyeuristic to stand here and watch them looking at each other.

"Well Ivashkov... I'll have a weak one please."

"As you wish my dear." He said and then walked off to get me a drink. I walked over to the stereo to put on some music, but Lissa piped up.

"Oh Rose, we have a movie. Do you want to put it on?" I turned around to see the movie she was talking about.... Twilight!

"You've got to be joking Liss." I said. A friggin vampire _love_ story!!! And they didn't even get it right! "You couldn't find anything other than that?" Normally I would jump at the chance to watch it; I loved watching gorgeous men sparkle, but not tonight.

"What? It's a good movie, and I know it's one of your favourites, plus Edward is pretty close to how good-looking we really are." She said with a grin. I shook my head as I walked into Adrian's bedroom, I knew where he kept his movies so I went and got another movie... love stories of _any_ kind was definitely _OFF_ the 'to watch' list tonight. I came back out with a much better movie. Wanted, with Angelina Jolie... I put the disc in and by that time Adrian was already sitting on the three seater sofa with Lissa and Christian....leaving me only one option; the two seater with Dimitri. I took a deep breath and walked over to sit beside him.

_Keep your doors locked from now on Princess, _I said through the bond, _you may find yourself being skinned alive tonight! _She started laughing hysterically as I glared at her. Adrian just looked at me in amusement and I knew he was looking at my aura, so I quickly popped into Lissa's head to see what it looked like. The colors that swirled around me where totally foreign to me, I'd seen them around others, but never me before. Purples, pinks...lots of pinks, blues and little sparks of white all surrounded in my ever present shadow. I quickly came back to myself as the movie was starting. I picked up my drink that Adrian had put on the coffee table for me and drank it... I had a feeling I may need another.

I couldn't concentrate on the movie very well; I could feel his body heat from where he sat beside me. I had to physically hold my right arm with my left so that it wouldn't reach over and touch him. I could feel my heart pumping my blood faster and faster around my body, my breathing was getting way too fast for my liking so I stood up and went to make myself another drink.

"I didn't realise you wanted to get drunk tonight little Dhampir." Said Adrian smugly behind me. I turned my head and glared at him.

"Did you know?"

"Know what my love?" He was going to make me embarrass myself, I knew it.

"That he was coming?" He walked up beside me and poured himself another drink too.

"No, but when I saw him standing behind Lissa and her new beau, I couldn't wait to see your reaction." I just glared at his amusement.

"So, was my reaction as satisfying as you'd hoped?" His grin just got wider...

"Even more so actually. I thought you might actually jump him before you got up just then." I couldn't talk to him anymore, I was getting annoyed.... well that might be a good thing actually, so I went to leave the kitchen but he pushed in front of me and went straight back to his previous seat. _Damn you Ivashkov! _

As I walked back to my seat...the one beside you know who, I glanced over to see Lissa's hand in Christians and it made me smile, I just happened to look up and see that 'you know who' thought my smile was for him. I sat back down with my drink and tried to concentrate on the movie.

_Will you calm down Rose? You're making it hard for me to keep my hands to myself here. _I couldn't help the giggle that broke free from my mouth.... she thought she had problems with _her_ hands... Oh my _God_!...

_I can't believe you did this._...

_Don't tell me you aren't enjoying yourself, because my dear, I know better._ I blushed as she said this, but then I suddenly realised that the room was darker than it had been earlier, then it clicked – Adrian had remotely dimmed the lights and was continuing to do so... Well at least no-one should notice my burning cheeks. I glanced over to see Adrian grinning as he turned the lights down even more.

_That's beside the point. I'm trying to keep things professional..._

_Can I point out that you're not working at the moment Rose? Relax and enjoy the night would you; I can make it an order if you'd prefer. _I turned to look at her and saw her trying with everything she had in her to keep a straight face. Soon I found myself in darkness with only the glare off the television to light the room. My breathing hadn't really improved much, so I tried to only think of that... breathe in, breathe out, breathe in..... It was actually starting to work and then I felt him touch my arm. My breathing stopped as I felt the jolt of remembrance pulse through me. My dream came back to me as clear as if I was still in the middle of it, my skin came alive and I wanted with everything in me to lean into him, but somehow I sat where I was. His finger made circles over my forearm muscle and then yet another part of my body betrayed me, the skin soon raised in goosebumps as that finger touched the soft skin on the inside of my arm, I knew he would feel this but I just couldn't seem to move my arm away. His fingers moved down further towards my hand and then I felt him slip his hand underneath mine. I was extremely glad that the movie was now in a noisy part as I was sure my breathing could have been heard in Russia! He gripped my hand in his and stupid me....I gripped back... _shit! What are you doing Rose! _I chided myself.

_Go for it Rose... _

_Shut up Liss... _Then I heard her laugh again. As he changed his grip and intertwined his fingers with mine, he moved slightly which brought him closer to me and one of his fingers reached out and touched my leg. My pulse jumped as did I and I quickly stood up making everyone in the room jump. "I really have to get going..." I said, "I have to be up early in the morning. Thanks for the movie guys." Without looking back to him, I walked quickly to the door before I changed my mind and went back to our covert touching session. Adrian got to the door just as I started to open it.

"You know Rose, its okay for you to be happy too." I dropped my head and closed my eyes and took a steadying breath. I didn't know what was going on... I used to love Adrian... a lot, but it was _never _like this, _never! _The pent up feelings I knew I was feeling for Dimitri were actually starting to hurt, like if I didn't get them out soon my chest would explode....

"Night everyone." I said as I walked out of his room. I ran down the stairs and out the door, with my enhanced sight I could see that the sun was just starting to rise, it would peak over the horizon in an hour or two, and I had yet to calm myself enough to sleep. I was starving as I'd missed dinner, so I went into the commons and then into the kitchen to see if there was any left over's. Sure enough, I found a nice big stash of donuts, and one of the cooks said she'd cook me a hamburger...and it was just what the doctor ordered! I thanked her and took my loot back to my room and scoffed it down. It wasn't long before a knock came from my door and I realised it was Lissa. Her room was beside mine in the teachers building as I was her guardian.

_Can I come in? _She asked from the other side of the door.

_Yeah._.. The door opened and she walked in with a sheepish grin on her face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She said. I could feel that she did regret pushing me into that situation, but I could also feel that she was pleased that I wanted to be there none the less.

"It's alright." I said honestly. She sat on the end of my bed and looked at me with understanding eyes. "I want to Liss, I really do, you know that....but I'm his mentor. He has so much to learn, for his own life and that of Christians. I don't want to mess it up buy getting involved with him."

"I know you Rose, you would never mess up." She had a lot of confidence in me, more than I did in myself at the moment.

"We don't live in a society that would accept us being together anyway, so what's the point." She knew I was right, but I could tell she was thinking hard about something but her barriers were up and I couldn't hear her thoughts. We sat there for a while talking about what happened after I left. Apparently Christian hadn't noticed anything... I'd been more covert than I thought I had. Dimitri on the other hand was as flustered as I had been. He'd gone out after I'd left, to get some 'air' apparently, and then came back a little while later to walk back with Christian. Lissa was feeling rather excited over her budding 'relationship' with him, she felt more alive than she had for a long time, and I was pleased for her. She soon started getting tired and then went to her own room, leaving me alone to ponder my next move.

The next morning I got up and got ready for my training session with Dimitri. I pulled on my workout clothes and went to set up the gym. I'd only been there for about ten minutes when Alberta walked in. "Morning Rose." She said.

"Good morning Alberta, how are you today?"

"Good thanks. Um, Hope is due to arrive in about two hours, I was wondering if you could come to Headmistress Kirova's office when you're finished here?"

"Yes certainly." She nodded and then went back outside. I had only met Hope twice before and I hadn't really got on very well with her. She was spoilt rotten by everyone in the family and she had an especially close relationship with Adrian, which is why I think she didn't like me. I felt his presence in the room before I actually knew he was here and when I turned around I saw him standing about eight feet away from me, just looking at me with a slight smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Good morning Rose." He said. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah, I did actually... Had a good dream too..." I said. I thought I'd have a little fun, lighten the mood.

"Oh really? What was it about?"

"You actually." His eyebrows shot up and his smile spread even further. "Yeah, I was here in the gym doing some training and I was really getting stuck into these dummies over there and then I realised, that one was you!" I know I lied... but it was good to see his face.

"Well that's not very nice."

"What... that you were a dummy?" He couldn't help but laugh; I found myself thinking of ways to hear it more often.

"Yeah, amongst other things. I had a good time last night, until you left." He said. My back was turned away from him so he didn't see my face flush... _man; I was going to have to learn to control that..._

"Yeah, it was a good movie, that's why I chose it. Now you have laps to do.... sixteen." I said. I heard him give a little snort in laughter and then walk out of the gym. I went over to the window in the door a few times to see how he was going and then I went and got my IPod out of the desk drawer. I put the earplugs in and cranked it up... I turned the dial and pressed play on one of my favourite singers, Pink... The first song hadn't even finished when I smelt him... so I slowly opened my eyes to look straight at him.

"How do you do that?" he asked me.

"Do what?"

"Know when I'm standing near you even though I know I haven't made a sound." I wasn't about to let him in on my secret... he might stop using that amazing aftershave that was now burned into my memory.

"Come on, spar time." I said. For the next hour we got hot and heavy with each other, not in the way that either of us would have preferred, but I still enjoyed it. I crouched back into my fighting stance as did he, and we circled each other on the mats. My arm was a little sore where one of his punches got through my defences. "So...you like action movies hey?" he asked. Without answering, I lunged forward and jumped into a roundhouse kick, as I landed I dropped down and kicked out backwards and my foot landed against his shin. He stumbled back and hopped on one leg a few times... _that one hurt, _I thought...

"Yeah I do, especially when the girl is the one kicking ass..." he smiled as he fell back into his fight position. He flew across the few feet between us and crashed into me with his shoulder, _wham! _Straight into my gut. I fell backwards onto the mat, the air sucked out of my lungs... _crap! That hurt..._ When he realised that I wasn't fighting back he looked at me with concern.

"Are you alright?" I nodded with my eyes closed, trying to breathe out of the pain, it didn't take long so I reefed up my elbow and whacked him in the side of the head. He came back quickly pinning my wrists and body with his full weight. He never said anything; he just looked into my eyes. "Why are you still fighting me?" he whispered. I knew what he meant, but I didn't want to give in, I couldn't give in....right?

"Because we're sparring....Duh!" I said sarcastically, his eyes narrowed in response...

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Yeah I did.... He slowly came closer and stopped just before our lips touched... _Oh crap...this is a little bit familiar... _again I did nothing. My whole body tingled as our lips finally came together and as much as I wanted more I was slightly pleased when he broke away from me. "I know you want this as much as I do, why won't you take it?" Last night's dream forced its way back into my head and that's when it happened.... The gym doors opened.


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, I'm going to see if this works... Thanks to mam13662 if it does! :-D Fanfic is being difficult today, but I wanted to get this up....  
I hope you enjoy it... and don't forget the reviews... I love reading what you all have to say.**

**Sandy**

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**Previously on Alternate Universe! :-D**

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Yeah I did.... He slowly came closer and stopped just before our lips touched... _Oh crap...this is a little bit familiar... _again I did nothing. My whole body tingled as our lips finally came together and as much as I wanted more I was slightly pleased when he broke away from me. "I know you want this as much as I do, why won't you take it?" Last night's dream forced its way back into my head and that's when it happened.... The gym doors opened.

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**Eleven**

I quickly glanced backwards and saw Alberta walk in and in an instant; I thanked my lucky stars that I'd been blessed with a quick wit. "You got lucky Belikov... Just because you pinned me this time, don't hold your breath for it to happen again anytime soon." I heard Alberta snicker behind me and realised that she'd believed what she'd heard. Dimitri thought it was pretty funny though.

"Well Guardian Hathaway," he said smiling, "That will teach you for getting distracted." I was so going to have to pound his butt into next week for that little comment. He let go of my hands and we both stood up. As we started to walk over to Alberta I saw Hope walk in behind her..._she's early_ I thought to myself.

"Alberta." I nodded in greeting. "Hello again Hope, long time, no see."

"Rose." Hope said sharply. Yup....she hasn't changed at all.

"Lady Ivashkov got in early, tailwind or something. Is your training session finished?" It was then that I realised that Dimitri wasn't near me, so I turned around and was surprised by his face. I looked back to Hope and saw the same expression.... O-kay.... Weird....

"Yes, we're finished, although I need to shower so I can meet you at your office in fifteen minutes if that's alright?" I asked. I could see that Dimitri was getting a little uncomfortable and I was now curious to find out why.

"Yeah, that's fine. Oh by the way, Lady Ivashkov...the mute standing over there is Dimitri Belikov, one of our promising novices." Said Alberta with a smirk. That was quite out of character for her actually, she normally wore her guardian mask 24/7, I had actually started to wonder if she'd even been born with a funny bone at all!

"Yes, I know Dimitri. Rather well actually." She said smiling at him. Of the little I knew of Hope, I could only imagine how she knew him, and that in itself stirred yet another feeling inside me that I didn't want to acknowledge. Jealousy.

"Oh good. Alright then, we'll see you in fifteen Rose." I nodded to her and watched them both walk out of the gym. I didn't say anything or move for a few seconds, I just tried to process what had just happened. Dimitri's silence behind me started to make me feel a little uneasy, so without saying anything to him, I walked over to the bathroom doors and went inside, I didn't have time to go to my own shower, so this would have to do for today. _This_ time I remembered my towel. It was tempting to just stand under the water for the next hour and let the world just pass me by, but I didn't have time for anything other than a quick shower.

"What's she doing here?" I heard him say from the other side of the shower door. I pretended that I hadn't heard him, hoping he'd go away. Then he knocked on the door... "Rose, can you hear me?" he asked.

"What are you doing Dimitri? Waiting for another glimpse?" I thought I heard him laugh softly but with the water running, I couldn't be sure.

"Always....Are you offering?" Standing here naked and knowing that he was on the other side of the door was doing little in the way of keeping my mind on the straight and narrow. I wondered if I should push my luck, I could see his feet under the door. I rinsed the last of the conditioner from my hair and walked over to the door and noticed that the water coming off me was pooling at my feet and started to go to where I knew he was standing; I didn't know if he'd seen it. I rested my head against the door in silence for a few seconds. As I pulled back from the door I looked up and saw that his hand was resting on the top of the door and before I realised what I'd done, I'd reached up and put my wet hand over his. "Rose..." he breathed. It was enough to make me pull my hand away and go stand under the water again.

"I'll be out soon." I whispered. With that his hand left the door and I heard the bathroom doors open and shut. "Oh God Rose..." I whispered to myself... "Get hold of yourself before you do something you shouldn't." I dried myself off and got dress quickly, I didn't have long before I had to meet Alberta and Hope. I gathered my things and opened the cubicle door to see Dimitri sitting on the benches in the middle of the room. _Shit! _"I thought you left." I said.

"I was going to, but I changed my mind." Before he could do or say anymore, I walked over to the doors. "Why are you trying to _fight_ it? We both want the same thing Rose, you know it and now _I_ know it." He said from somewhere behind me, I stopped and was going to tell him the same thing I'd been telling him for the last few weeks, but I soon became aware that he was standing only inches away from me. I closed my eyes as I tried to get my self control back and then I felt his warm breath against my neck. "Let me show you how I feel... Just once." he whispered against my skin. I held my breath and clenched my jaw as his aftershave was starting to unravel my resolve and then I walked out of the bathroom, my whole body felt like it was going to implode upon itself. Once out in the main gym area I took off, out through the doors and headed towards Alberta's office. _What is wrong with me? I was the mentor, and here I am running away from him??? _

As I stood in front of her door I took a deep breath and put my mask of indifference on. "Come in." She said after I knocked. She smiled at me as I walked up behind Hope. "Thanks for coming Rose. Hope has today off but she'll be starting classes tomorrow so here's her schedule, can you show her around to her different class rooms and such that would be great."

"Sure." I said. Hope stood up and walked to the door without even looking at me. Alberta gave me a look like... 'Sorry to do this to you Rose.' I smiled and gave a small shrug and then followed Hope out of the building.

"So," said Hope as I came up beside her. "How long has _he_ been here?" I didn't know who she meant at first and then it clicked... Dimitri.

"Ah, not long. I recently led a team to retrieve him and Christian Ozera and they wanted them brought here because we're 'out in the sticks', less chance of them trying to run again I suppose. How do you know him?" I asked keeping my voice as offhand as possible.

"We dated." She said simply. "Back at the academy in Alaska; before he...left." That last word held a lot of animosity and it made me wonder if everything between them had finished before he left. "He's still as drop dead gorgeous as ever I see... maybe even more so than before. Is his temper still as bad as it was?" she asked.

"No... We're training pretty hard though, so he's probably too tired to be cranky." She scoffed at that and I was about to ask her about it, but I saw him standing outside his classroom from the corner of my eye. I didn't want to acknowledge that I'd seen him, so instead of showing Hope her classrooms, I went in the other direction and took her to the commons instead. "I'll show you the most important place first... the commons! No place more important than where the food is." I tried to make a joke, lighten the mood, but Hope, being the stuck up Royal she was didn't even crack a smile. As I pointed out the commons I thought about her brother. "Does Adrian know you're here?" I asked.

"Probably not, he hasn't tried to get in touch with me, but who knows." That was weird... her and Adrian were really close.

"Do you want to go see him?" I asked.

"He's still here?" she asked shocked.

"Yeah, he's helping Lissa teach the other spirit users." I thought it weird that she didn't know this; it must have been a while since she'd spoken to him.

"Oh." Was all she said, she made out that she wasn't all that worried if she saw him or not, but I could see that she was dying to.

"Come on, I know he'd _love_ to see you." The walk over to his room was in a strange silence. We'd never really got on, she didn't think Adrian should've had feelings for a Dhampir, apparently someone of his standing was too important to be with _just _a Dhampir, and she never let her feelings go unheard... ironic really seeing her reaction to seeing Dimitri.... I knocked on the door and after a minute or two I knocked again... I couldn't help but smile hearing the crashing and banging as he stumbled to the door...

"Alright, alright... hold your bloody horses. I'm coming." As he opened the door, his face went from angry to happy as he saw me and then shocked when he saw Hope. "Hope?" he said as he reached out for her and pulled her into him.

"I'll be back in half an hour." I said as I walked back down the hall.

"No Rose, come back." I shook my head slightly and blew him a kiss before walking off. I had a little time to kill before going back to Adrians so I thought I'd go and see what the _other_ pain in my ass was doing. I walked over to his weight class and snuck in through the back door. He was paired up with Grayson as usual and they weren't all that far from me, from my vantage point I could see all the novices going through their reps.

"Belikov!" I heard Mike Foster yell. "Stop mucking around and focus. You might be bigger than most here, but you still need to train." I saw Dimitri glare at Mike and then return to his weights. As Mike walked away, Grayson started to laugh but it soon died away when he received his own "Dimitri' glare...

"What's up with you man?" Asked Grayson, "Girl trouble?"

"Yeah, something like that." I heard him say.

"Who is she? Anyone I know?"

"Doesn't matter, she won't give me the time of day so...."

"You're kidding me... The great Dimitri Belikov is going to give up _that_ easy?" Gray ribbed. "Thought you had more stay in you than that."

"Believe me, I've tried everything I know, but she's so....pigheaded!" _Oh! Pigheaded am I? _I couldn't believe he thought I was pigheaded... Well, maybe a bit. Gray bent down to look Dimitri in the eyes and smiled.

"You really like her, don't you?" He said raising his eyebrows. Dimitri stood up so that they could swap places on the bench press.

"It doesn't matter how much I like _her_, she's not budging." Just then he looked up and saw me in the shadows... I saw the faintest smile pull at his mouth. "Then again, only losers give up without a decent fight." He said while we stared at one another.

"Hey Belikov! How much friggin weight have you got on here? Pull it up man...." Gray's voice snapped me out of the gaze. I stepped away from my shadowed spot and walked back out of the weights room and made my way back up to Adrian's room. Before I got there though, my phone rang.

"Hathaway." I said as I answered.

"Hi Rose," said Alberta, "The field trip is organised for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay... Who's going?" I asked.

"Um... well funny you should ask that, the Princess heard about it so she just came to see me and insisted that she come along too, so the Moroi's will be....her, Christian Ozera and Adrian." I smiled as I heard Christian's name and shook my head, "And then there will be you, Stan and me and then the novices, Belikov, Conta and Blake. Do you want to let the novices know to be at the parking lot at 7pm, and not be late. I'm not going to wait around for them."

"Okay." I said and then hung up my phone. I knocked at Adrian's door and was greeted with a smile.

"Hello again Little Dhampir, come in." Before I could get past him though, he pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank you for bringing my little sister up here."

"No worries. What's the hug for?" I asked him.

"I just haven't had you in my arms for a while, thought I'd take the opportunity while I could." He said with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

"Your sister hates me enough without making her think there's still something between us you know."

"She doesn't hate you my love." I just gave a quick snort and pulled out of his arms.

"By the way, Alberta just rang and you have to be at the car park at 7pm sharp or you'll be left behind."

"I'll be there sweet cheeks," he said pinching my butt. "With bells on."

"Call me sweet cheeks again and you'll find your bells shoved up your ass before you can ring them." He laughed loudly at that and Hope came over to us.

"Hi Rose." She said. I was a little shocked at her change in demeanour; it was a complete 180 from where I'd left her half an hour ago.

"Hi. You two had a good catch up?"

"Yeah, I've missed big brother." She said sadly.

"Well," I said, "we best get going so I can show you where your classes will be." She nodded and we walked to the door and left. "I'm glad you're here Hope, I know Adrian's missed you a lot."

"Thank you Rose." She said almost friendly. It took us the next two hours walking around the academy, going to the different classrooms, meeting her teachers and showing her where everything was. By the time we finished, it was lunch time and we slowly made our way to the commons. As I walked in, I saw Lissa sitting by herself.

"Rose!" she yelled holding her hand up.

"Is that the Princess that Adrian keeps telling me about?" Even though I'd know the Ivashkov's for a couple of years now, none of the family had actually met Lissa.

"Yeah, you want to meet her?" she quickly nodded and I went to introduce them. We'd not long been talking when I saw Christian walk around us and sit beside Lissa. I knew that meant that Dimitri wouldn't be far away and sure enough, ten seconds later he walked up and stood on the other side of me to Hope.

"Hey Teach." He said to me. "Hope." He said to Adrian's sister. She on the other hand said nothing, not even acknowledging he had even spoken.

"Well," she said, "I'm off to feed. Thank you for the tour Rose, if you need me I think I'll be with my brother." I nodded and watched her walk to the feeder's room. I was dying to know what went on between her and Dimitri, but that would make it seem like I was too interested, so I bit my tongue. Lissa and Christian stood up and that was our cue to follow them. They signed in with the Moroi at the door and went to the seats to wait their turn.

"How long were you standing there for?" Dimitri asked me as we stood against a far wall. I knew he was referring to when he saw me in the weights room.

"Not long, I came to let you know to be at the car park at 7pm, we're taking some Moroi shopping tomorrow morning. But you still have training at the usual time."

"Oh." Was all he said. Just then Lissa and Christian walked off to the feeders leaving us alone. As soon as they went around the corner he turned to stand in front of me, but before he could say anything, I spoke up.

"How do you know Hope?" I asked. His face scrunched slightly as he looked to the floor. He thought for a while and then looked back to me.

"We used to date. But then we left."

"And how were things between you two _when_ you left?"

"Over, well and truly over. Why do you ask?" he said with his head to the side.

"Just need to know what's going on around me, that's all." He smiled a lop sided smile and then winked.

"Sure. Whatever you say Teach." Then he leant forward closing the gap between us. "I meant what I said before you know."

"What?"

"That only losers give up without a fight." Before I could stop it, a smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth which knowing him, he most certainly saw. "And I haven't lost at _anything_ since I was three." Then he quickly kissed my forehead and then stood back against the wall beside me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi Everyone, sorry I've taken so long to update... But here it is... Hope you all enjoy it! :-D**

**Twelve**

It was only a few minutes after that that Hope came out after her feeding. "Rose," she nodded, but when she looked at Dimitri who was looking at the carpet, I couldn't work out if she was mad at him or not, but he didn't even acknowledge that she had even spoken to me. Hmm, a mystery to be solved I think. She walked out back into the commons without another word. My usual curiosity was gnawing at me, urging me to ask, but I kept my mouth shut....somehow. I looked up as Lissa and Christian came out and she looked a little concerned.

_What's wrong Liss? _I asked silently. As she looked up into my eyes I was already making my way over to her.

_Just something the feeder said._

_Which was? _The guys were looking between us knowing that we were talking; Christian looked at us in amazement...

_It was really weird actually. She said that 'Do not linger, otherwise all hope will be lost and the flowers will freeze' _I looked at her confused.

"What?" I asked.

_I don't understand either. _She looked around and noticed the guys shrugging at each other and smiled. _Come on; walk back so that you can get your lunch. _I nodded to her and we walked out. I could hear the guys talking behind us in whispers, but I was trying to work out what the feeder meant.

_Who was the feeder?_

_My regular. _She said. I shook my head at her as Alice's face flashed into my mind and Lissa nodded. It still amazed me sometimes at the extent that our bond had risen to over the years. At first I could only hear her thoughts, get a feel for her emotions and see through her eyes, then she started to hear _me_ and it wasn't long after that that she could come into my head. Now we could send each other images of what we were thinking and seeing. She stopped walking suddenly, grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her. _You don't think she meant you....do you? _

"No. I don't." I said to her, but she noticed the instant the doubt flashed into my head.

"You do. Don't lie to me." She said quietly. I looked at Christian and Dimitri who had stopped beside us and were just staring at us wondering what we were talking about.

_We'll tackle this together, like we always do, alright? _She nodded in reply. _Please don't worry too much about this. Why would you even be thinking so much about what Alice says anyway? You know she's not always right, remember how she said that I wouldn't be your guardian because my life would go in another direction? _"Remember?" I said aloud. Then she looked over to Dimitri and back to me, but I just shook my head knowing exactly what she was thinking. We went back to the tables but I kept walking over to the food, with Alice's two so called 'predictions' swirling around in my head, I needed a sugar hit...and a big one!

"Am I ever going to know what that was all about?" Dimitri asked from next to me.

"Just something that Lissa's feeder said, nothing to worry about." He pursed his lips deliberating on if he should press for more information but he decided against it.

"So, shopping huh." I looked back at him with a smile.

"Yeah, we need to see your awesome guarding skills in action." I said.

"Will it be a quick trip or a normal 'girly shop'?" Something about how he said that question suddenly made me wonder. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked seeing my confusion.

"No, not at all. Just something you said triggered a memory, that's all... Remember 7pm, don't be late or Guardian Petrov will leave you behind."

"And pass up the chance to spend the whole day with you... I don't think so. As much as I hate shopping, I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of fun tomorrow." He said with that amazing smile of his.

"See you this afternoon; I hope you've been doing your wrist strengthening exercises, because you're going to be doing some serious working out later." He bent down to my level and whispered in my ear....

"If you'd like, I could show you just how strong my wrists are right now." His smile widened as he saw the blush that crept into my cheeks, the blush caused by yet another replay of the dream where he'd held me with those strong wrists.

"Dimitri." I said sternly.

"Rose!" he said back to me in the same tone. "Do you want me to show you or not?" I just shook my head and walked over to the table with Liss.

"So...Christian, what did you do while you were...on holidays." I ignored the glare that Lissa was shooting at me and just continued to look at Christian.

"Ah, schoolwork, parties...training. You know....the normal stuff."

"Training? As in....?"

"Defence. Dimitri's not the _only_ one who can fight Guardian Hathaway." I was surprised to hear this. Moroi normally like to sit back and let us be the ones to get the shit beaten out of us rather than fight for themselves in any way. I just sat smiling as I thought that it might be good getting to know Christian a little better. "What? Don't ya believe me?" he added a little defensively.

"Oh I'm sure you're quite the accomplished fighter." I didn't mean to sound condescending but that's how it came out.

"Fine!" Said Christian abruptly. "I challenge you to a fight Guardian Hathaway." I couldn't help raising my eyebrow at this.... how funny _is_ this guy!

"Ozera, you know damn well that I won't fight you...even if I wanted to..."

"Are you scared?" He said seriously. My mouth dropped open as I stared at him in disbelief. After the initial shock wore off, I saw that a lot of eyes were now fixed on our table and the commons had become awfully quiet.

"No, I'm not scared; you should be though." Maybe I didn't want to get to know him after all...smart-ass little...... There were a few snickers heard from around us and then I felt hands resting on my shoulders as I smelt Adrian's clove cigarettes waft my way.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to pull on a tiger's tail Ozera?" He said from behind me, and I had to laugh. "It's generally bad for one's health. Tigers have big teeth you know!" He moved to sit beside me... "Hello my love," he said with a kiss to my cheek. "Have you had your fill of young-uns for today? Wanna spend some time with a _real_ man this afternoon?" I couldn't help but giggle at him and his cheeky smile that was plastered all over his face. I could see Dimitri standing behind him and his face wasn't as relaxed as it was a little while ago.

Without saying anything I stood up and bent forward cupping Adrians face in my hands and whispered.... "Actually I'd love to.... But I think Stan's busy right now." I smiled my best man eater smile and lightly kissed his lips. He put his hand over his heart and fell to the side of his seat.

"Oh Rose!" he said in mock hurt. "You're killing me!" I shook my head and picked up the last bit of my donut and popped it into my mouth. I had to start patrolling soon anyway, so I thought that I'd go to the bathroom and get away from all this baiting!

"Bye bye now kiddies..." I waved to them... I looked at Dimitri and continued. "I'll see _you_ later." He could take that anyway he wanted to. I walked out of the ladies and went straight outside to the path that travelled along the wards. I loved being out here actually, it was a place that I could think, and all that I could hear out here were the sounds of the night... my little place of respite. I closed my eyes and smiled as the cool night air felt good against my skin. My heart rate picked up as I smelt his aftershave and even though my eyes were shut, I could tell that he had just walked in front of me. I waited until his scent was strong, letting me know how close he was and then I opened my eyes to look directly at him. His eyebrow lifted in surprise that I knew he was there.

"You're going to have to tell me how you do that you know." He said smiling, but I chose to ignore his statement.

"What are you doing out here Dimitri?" I asked as I looked at my watch. "Your classes are nearly ready to start."

"I know." He said. He stood in front of me obviously wanting to say something else, so I urged him on...

"Well, spit it out then. I don't have all day."

"Is that how you see me?" I gave a confused look as I didn't understand what he meant by that statement. "As a kid, a student; is that why you won't give me a shot?" I didn't know what to say to him. If I told him the truth and said no, that I saw him as a man, a very hunky, very desirable, very melt-in-your.... _crap!...._then I knew he'd take advantage of that admission, but if I said yes to his question I'd hurt him...a lot. But he took my hesitation to answer as something else; a green light.

He walked forward closing the distance between us and I unconsciously walked backwards into a tree. "You and me...we're a lot alike..." He whispered inches from my face. I wanted to disagree with him but in truth...we were a lot alike, we both had a strong desire to protect our friends, we both wanted to be the best guardians that we could be and we both had an unbelievably strong attraction to one another.

"No we're not actually..." I lied.

"Yes we are, and you know it. I can see how you try to control your emotions; shove you're feelings for me down to where no-one can see them. Most of the time....you're the good little Guardian, doing what she's been trained to do, but I can see you want a little bit of life that's just for you..." he said in a hushed voice. "Why do you keep fighting me? I'm offering you that 'little bit' that's just for you, because _I_ want that little bit too; obviously I'm going to have to try harder. I'm going to kiss you now Rose." I swallowed hard as my eyes were locked with his, but I did nothing to stop him as he brushed his lips against mine. His hands came either side of my hips..."Say yes..." he breathed against my lips, his tongue ran along my bottom lip... "Say yes Rose..." He pulled me to him and one hand reached around to my back while the other one came up to my neck under my hair all while never taking his lips off mine. His lips finally took possession of mine and with our bodies pressed tightly together I could no longer hold back....

My arms wrapped around his neck and a soft moan escaped and before I knew it, the word 'yes' came out of my mouth. I threw myself into the embrace with everything I'd been holding back... The instant my arms wrapped around him, he pushed me back against the tree.... it wasn't my bedroom wall, but it had the same effect. The same feelings, the same desires swept through me... The hand that had been at my back was now making its way down my leg...his mouth traced kisses down my neck and found the lobe of one ear... _Oh God! _"Dimit..." I tried to say but was cut off by his mouth back on mine and I was now well on my way to losing my battle for control. Between the leg that was around his hip and the tree behind me, I lifted myself up to wrap my legs around him.

"Rose..." he said as his hand pulled my shirt out from my black guardian pants. As in my dream, my skin came alive at his touch and I arched my back to press my body into him harder. Our mouths once again came together, our tongues tasting one another and then I felt his hand move around to my back but before I could stop him, he'd released the clasp of my bra. Now that _that_ was as undone as my resolve, he was free to explore unhindered. "You are...amazing." he said against my lips. I pulled my head back as he trailed kissed down my neck to my collarbone; I could feel his desire for me growing and it took all my strength not to reach down and take him in my hands but I knew that we'd have to stop soon, _and_ I knew that I'd probably have to be the one to pull back first... His hand came down my stomach and started to unbutton my pants but I couldn't let it go that far...

"No..." I said, I pushed against his chest and looked into his lust filled eyes knowing just how much we both wanted to go further, but I had to be strong... "We can't... Dimitri, I..." I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his. "Please..." I whispered.

"I can't stop Rose," he said, I pulled back to look at him again. "I won't. I've never felt this way about anyone before, I can't just walk away. I want you; I want you so bad it hurts to be away from you. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but it's like....like I've known you all my life, it's just taken this long to meet you." I knew what he meant because I'd felt the same pull towards him too, but what can we do about it? Nothing, a relationship between us would never be accepted, it would never work. Then a smile crept over his face, one that reached his beautiful deep brown eyes. "Plus....you said yes." I couldn't help but smile back... he had me there!

"Yeah I did, didn't I?" He nodded in reply.

"Can't go back on it now, not after this." I realised I still had my legs around his waist so I released them and moved out of his embrace.

"You need to get to class." I said while fixing my clothes back up. "We'll talk about this later." He closed the gap between us and held my face in his hands and then softly kissed me again.

"I think I've fallen for you.... Hook, line and sinker." He whispered with a smile. My heart jumped against my ribs and my head scrambled to make sense of how I let myself get into this mess. He turned without another word and walked away, leaving me breathless.

_Rose. _I heard in my head. I didn't think it would be too long before she called for me. I checked through the bond to where she was and walked towards her room. It had only been just over two months since we brought him and Christian back to the school, and I never thought in a million years that I ever have 'this' in my life, guardians didn't get to love, guardians only got to serve....and die. _Could I?_ I thought.... Could I finally have what had been denied to me my whole life? I finally made it to her room but just as I got to her room I heard... _Just come in Rose...._

I opened the door to see her sitting at her desk writing and going through books. She looked up at me and smiled. "So... you've chosen?" I walked over and sat in the chair beside her.

"I've chosen not deny what I feel. But what's the use Liss? After _this_..." I said motioning around the room... "after he graduates...we can't be together, and if we take things further here then not only do we risk his expulsion from school, but I'll lose you too. Nothing good can come out of it." I hadn't realised how much I wanted this until now, I wanted him so much it hurt and just as that realisation hit, a tear fell from my eye. I felt sadness and regret and sympathy flood through the bond from Lissa as she reached out wiped the tear away. Suddenly all those feelings changed, the feelings of sadness and regret transformed into determined and optimistic resolve. But as soon as I felt them, I felt the walls go up in her mind. "What you are planning?" I asked her.

"Nothing." She said with a smile. "Shouldn't you be patrolling?" I tried to see what was going through her mind, but her blocks were airtight. She was definitely up to something alright. I got up and kissed her goodbye and then went back to my patrols. While going around the back of the classrooms, I caught a glimpse of Dimitri and Hope... They were close together but I could tell by his stance that it wasn't a pleasant conversation. I walked towards them but neither saw or heard me approach.

"Why are you two out here when you should be in class?" I asked them. Hope jumped and turned to look at me and I was right, she wasn't happy. "Well?" I asked them...

"Just catching up Rose. But we're done here." She said. She glared at Dimitri as she turned and left.

"Come on." I said as I pushed past him to walk him to where he was supposed to be.

**Don't forget the little green button! hehehe You know how much I love all of your reviews!  
Thanks everyone.**

**Sandy**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay... well below is the message that I sent in before, I'll leave it here so those who didn't see my question will know what I was going on about. **

* * *

**Hi Everyone... **

**Well, I'm sitting here writing some more of Alternate Universe and I got to wondering... :-D You know how I asked you all if you wanted me to  
get Rose to 'give in' or 'not to give in' because I was at a point in the story where it could go either way... Well, I was wondering  
if you would like to see the bit that I wrote that.... went the other way....where she gave in? **

**Let me know and I'll put it up while I continue to write! Hehehe**

**Sandy**

* * *

**_So this is where the story was changed...... In chapter 11, Rose was in the shower after Alberta came in and wanted her to show Hope around. Rose had thought that Dimitri had left the gym, but he didn't, he came into the bathroom. _**

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"What's she doing here?" I heard him say from the other side of the shower. I pretended that I hadn't heard him, hoping he'd go away, then he knocked on the door... "Rose, can you hear me?" he asked.

"What are you doing Dimitri? Waiting for another glimpse?" I thought I heard him laugh softly but with the water running, I couldn't be sure.

"Always....Are you offering?" Standing here naked and knowing that he was only feet away from me on the other side of the door was doing little in the way of keeping my mind on the straight and narrow. I wondered if I should push my luck, I could see his feet under the door, so I rinsed the last of the conditioner from my hair and walked over to it. I noticed that the water coming off me was pooling at my feet and started to go to where I knew he was standing; I didn't know if he'd seen it.

**_This is the bit that I changed.......It was going in this direction before you all wanted her to wait a little longer.... :-D_**

"So....just how good _is_ your imagination?" I said as I put my fingers on the top of the door. I waited for him to reply but there was no sound, so I thought that he might have already gone. Just then his hand covered mine and my body tingled at his touch.

"Pretty good actually, but in reality... _that's_ where I excel." He said in a seductive voice. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the door; it was getting really hard to resist him. My mind quickly replayed my dream....again. I pulled my hand out from under his and I brought my hand down to the door lock. It squeaked as I started to turn it, but I only turned it half way open when I stopped myself. I quietly screwed my face up and the pain in my chest kicked up a notch... "Rose?" he asked.... _Could I do this? Everyone that meant anything to me was telling me to..they wanted me to have a life, someone to love. _I swallowed and I bent down to pick up my earpiece.

"Alberta?" I said as my hand continued to slowly open the shower door.... "Something's come up, I'll be another fifteen." She told me that was fine so I put the earpiece down onto my clothes. The door pushed open and I watched as he walked into the shower cubicle with me. My heart went into overdrive as I watched his eyes take in my naked body as he came closer to me.

"You are absolutely stunning." He whispered. As he stood holding my eyes with his, he pulled his shirt off; I couldn't help but glance down at his amazing body. He came closer and put both hands around to the back of my head and pulled me into a deep, hungry kiss. My hands grew a mind of their own and relieved him of the rest of his clothes. We walked back to the shower where I finally let down all the walls I'd built.

**_But this is what you got instead!!! Hehehehe..._**

I rested my head against the door in silence for a few seconds and as I pulled back, I looked up and saw his hand above my head and before I realised what I'd done, I'd reached up and put my wet hand over his. "Rose..." he breathed. It was enough to make me pull my hand away and go stand under the water again.

"I'll be out soon." I whispered. With that, I saw his hand pull away and heard him walk away. I sighed at the sound of the bathroom doors opening and shutting. "Oh God Rose..." I whispered to myself... "Get hold of yourself before you do something you shouldn't." I dried myself off and got dress quickly, I didn't have long before I had to meet Alberta and Hope. I gathered my things and opened the cubicle door to see Dimitri sitting on the benches in the middle of the room. _Shit! _"I thought you left." I said.

**_The new chapter is nearly finished so I will get it up ASAP! I'll get rid of this when I upload the new chapter... :-D_**

**_Sandy_**


	14. Chapter 13b

**Howdy-hoo everyone! Well, I'm glad you all liked the other little bit and I left if there for those who said it should stay... LOL  
At first I was a little sad that I couldn't take the story there, but it worked out for the best anyway...  
I've thought of a much better storyline! ROFLMAO!!!! (Insert evil laugh here!)**

**Anyway... Hope you all like it...  
Sandy**

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**Thirteen**

Dimitri's point of view.

As she said 'kiddies' something clicked in my head... did she see me as a kid? Is that why she kept fighting me? I needed to know because if this was the case I had to do my best to show her just how much of a kid I _wasn't_... I waited a few minutes after she left so that no-one would put two and two together and then made the excuse that I had to get something from my room before our next class. As I came around the corner of the commons building, I caught a glimpse of her walking through the trees that surround the academy. She was alone, so now was my chance and one way or another, after this little 'meeting' we were about to have, she was going to admit her feelings for me. I went around the back of the gym block so that I could meet her further up the track, but when she didn't come I went looking for her. It didn't take long before I found her; she was just standing in the middle of the path with her face upturned and her eyes closed. She looked so beautiful, she had a slight smile on her face and it almost made me want to _not_ disturb her... but that thought soon disappeared. I held my breath and stealthily made my way so that I was standing in front of her and for once I was pleased that she hadn't heard me...I was silent in my approach...or so I thought.... As she straightened up, she opened her eyes to look directly at me and I knew that she'd known I was here.

"You're going to have to tell me how you do that you know." I said with a smile. She didn't reply to my statement, but she looked at her watch and I knew what was coming.

"What are you doing out here Dimitri? Your classes are nearly ready to start."

"I know." I was a little annoyed at her attitude change. She was so free with Ivashkov and I really had to stop myself from punching him into next week when he kissed her at the table, I really didn't like their....closeness, not when _I_ wanted to be that close, _I_ wanted to be the one who could kiss her in front of everyone. I wanted to say more, but I didn't know how to approach the subject and she could tell...

"Well, spit it out then. I don't have all day." She knew me better than she thought she did...

"Is that how you see me?" I asked her. She looked confused so I pressed on... "As a kid, a student; is that why you won't give me a shot?" I saw a number of emotions play across her face and realised she was warring with herself with what she wanted to say.... I didn't want her to say yes so I made the first move... I walked closer to her and she took a few steps back, finding herself against a tree, then I bent down so that I was only inches away from her; it was only fair that I gave her the chance to say no... but I could hear her breathing get faster.... this was it, my chance.

"You and me...we're a lot alike..." She knew I was right and I could see that she was trying to think of some way that she could disagree with me...

"No we're not actually..." She said finally.... I could see straight through her though, I could tell she was lying; my heart beat faster as I could feel myself winning....

"Yes we are, and you know it. I can see how you try to control your emotions; shove you're feelings for me down to where no-one can see them. Most of the time....you're the good little Guardian, doing what she's been trained to do, but I can see you want a little bit of life that's just for you..." The guardian in her was trying to fight me, fight to keep me at arm's length, but I could also see she wanted to grab what I offered with both hands... so I pushed a little further.... "Why do you keep fighting me? I'm offering you that 'little bit' that's just for you, because _I_ want that little bit too; obviously I'm going to have to try harder. I'm going to kiss you now Rose." She didn't say no, so I bent forward and our lips touched...just. My hands found their own way to her hips... "Say yes..." I whispered against her lips... I didn't know how much longer I could control myself, but I wanted her to admit her feelings for me... I touched her lips with my tongue and I felt her warm breath pant against my mouth... "Say yes Rose" I said again... I reached around to her back and pulled her into me and with my other hand I cradled her neck... my control was nearly at it breaking point so I had to push a little harder... I kissed her deeply and was rewarded with a soft moan and her arms being wrapped around my neck....

"Yes..." she whispered... _Oh God!.... She said it..._ That was it! I was undone... I pushed myself hard against her and our tongues exploring each other while my hands explored elsewhere. I thought my heart was about to explode, surely it couldn't beat this fast without doing permanent damage... My hand that was on her back came down and pulled her leg up around my hip, I wanted to get closer... _much_ closer. I kissed down her neck and then I bit a little against her earlobe... I felt her melt against me, which was doing a _lot_ to me right at this moment...

"Dimit..." she went to speak, but I wasn't having any of that... I didn't want her to change her mind like she always did, I wanted her to acknowledge and accept and want me and much as I did her... so I brought my mouth back to hers. Without breaking the kiss, she lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around my waist... _Don't lose control D... don't lose control...._I told myself over and over.I have _never, ever_ felt like this before..._ever_! She drove me wild...

"Rose..." I whispered as I pulled at her shirt, pulling it out of her slacks... and the instant my hand touched her skin it felt like an electric pulse went up my arm and then she pressed herself against me again, I didn't know how far she was going to let me go, and I would stop whenever she said to, but for now....I just kept going... I occupied her mouth as I reached around and released her bra. I brought my hand around and took her breast in my hand... _Oh my God... she...is...perfection... _"You are...amazing." I said against her lips. She let her head fall back as I kissed from her chin to her collarbone, everything about me was hard at the moment and I automatically pushed against her hips. I felt her hand move down my side and around to my front but then I felt it.... I felt her stop.

"No..." she whispered as she pushed against my chest. It took everything in me to stop, I wanted her so bad and I could see she wanted me too... "We can't... Dimitri, I..." _I knew it... _She rested her head against mine and looked into my eyes... "Please..." I knew she was trying to do what she thought was best, but denying our feelings for each other was not 'what was best', for either of us...

"I can't stop Rose, I won't." I _had_ to make her understand my feelings for her. "I've never felt this way about anyone before, I can't just walk away. I want you; I want you so bad it hurts to be away from you. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but it's like....like I've known you all my life, it's just taken this long to meet you." Her face changed from guarded to resigned and I knew I'd finally broken down some of those walls she'd built up. "Plus....you said yes." I reminded her as I smiled.

"Yeah I did, didn't I?" she said with her own smile. _Yes!!!!_

"Can't go back on it now, not after this." I said to her. We continued to stare into each other's eyes and then she realised she was still wrapped around my waist.

"You need to get to class." She said. "We'll talk about this later." As she fixed her clothes back up I closed the distance between us and held her face in my hands... I couldn't believe someone as beautiful as Rose wanted me as much as I wanted her...

I kissed her softly and then the words just tumbled out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them... "I think I've fallen for you.... Hook, line and sinker." I didn't regret my words as I meant every syllable, but I didn't want to scare her away just as she was relenting either. I was so happy right now... I thought I'd let her think about that so I smiled and walked back the way I'd come. As I got around the other side of the gym building, I finally let out the breath that I'd been holding since leaving her... I backed up to the building trying to calm myself down to where I could be seen in public again...

"Dimitri." I heard beside me... I knew instantly who it was and I debated on if I should answer her or walk away. I turned to her and looked into the face of the first girl that I'd given my heart to.

"What do you want Hope?" I said.

"To talk. We never got a chance to clear the air....before you left." I heard the implication in the last part that _I'd_ been the one at fault here... My happy moment all but ruined now by her appearance.

"Oh, I think things were made pretty clear."

"No they weren't. You know how things in this world are played Dimitri. You know the politics that are involved in our everyday lives. You know my family and you know that being _in_ my family means that we have to 'play' a certain way..." I didn't need an explanation from her, not anymore... "I had to 'play' the game, we all do." She said as she walked closer to me. I huffed at her and walked past her, I had a class to get to and I wasn't going to let her be the reason that I got in trouble... She finally caught up to me as we got to the classrooms. "Dimitri!" she yelled. I turned to face her and narrowed my eyes...

"I don't want your explanations Hope. I've moved on from you."

"You may not want it, but you're going to get it... You can either get my explanation in private or I'll just follow you to your class." I took a deep calming breath and then walked around to the back of the building.

"Go ahead but make it fast, class begins in five minutes." I said as I looked at my watch.

"I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you."

"Funny way of showing it."

"I know, I'm sorry. You know that the queen has to choose someone to replace her when she has to stand down; my parents wanted her to choose me. So they made it seem like I was...close to Alex Drozdov and when she came to visit, my parents made me convince the queen that we were together. The queen loves Alex and everyone thinks that she will want him on the throne either as king or as the new Queen's consort. I have never felt anything for him and I didn't mean for you to see..."

"I know, I could imagine that you wouldn't have wanted me to see that." I was angry now... angrier than when I thought that she'd changed her mind about me, now I knew that I was just a pawn to be played with, she was just like all the other Moroi. "Is that it? I need to go."

"Can't you even understand just a little bit?" I glared at her, wanting to forgive her betrayal, but then I realised that I'd forgiven her a long time ago, I was just angry that I'd let myself believe that there could have ever been a future between her and I... Plus, now I had someone else in my life, someone who made me smile.

"Why are you two out here when you should be in class?" I heard from behind me. I knew that voice... the voice that I heard in my dreams every night.... Hope jumped and turned to look at Rose with a hard look. "Well?" Rose asked waiting for an answer. At the moment it would have to come from Hope, I was still too angry to speak...

"Just catching up Rose, but we're done now." Hope said. _You don't know how right you are... _I thought to myself... She then turned back to me and glared before leaving. I looked down to the ground and waited for Rose's questions that didn't end up coming.

"Come on." She said, and then she pushed past me and walked towards my classroom. I kept glancing over to her during the class, but her face revealed nothing, not hurt, not happy, not inquisitive...nothing. So I thought of all the scenarios of how she'd ask me about what happened so that I could give her a good answer. When I wasn't thinking about Rose I was thinking about the things that Hope had said to me. When the class finished I really wanted to talk to Rose, but she was talking to the teacher so I left and went to the next class. She didn't come to any of my classes for the rest of the day, so by the time training came around; I was a little tense at what awaited me. I was walking across the quad to the gym when I heard this almighty scream... I went instantly into guard mode and then I realised I knew that voice... I took off to the direction that I heard her and then saw her being spun around in some big guys arms. By the looks of him he was a guardian, but I'd never seen him before and I didn't like how he looked at her. And then he kissed her!

* * *

**Rose's point of view**

By the looks of them, whatever was between them _hadn't_ been finalised, of that much I was sure... no matter what they both say. I stood in the class after I'd walked him there and I could see that he kept looking at me, so I kept my face void of emotion, occasionally the classroom disappeared and I found myself back on the path in his arms.... I knew that he'd want to talk to me after class but I wasn't ready just yet, so I made my way up to Lydia and started to talk, he waited for a minute and then walked off. For the rest of the day, I patrolled, my mind uncharacteristically unfocused... When I found myself at a clearing near the wards, I scolded myself for letting myself be like this... So I walked back to the school pulling myself together. I came out of the trees near the training track and I was surprised to see the time... Dimitri would nearly be here for training, I'd nearly got to the gym when I heard Lissa...

_Rose, what ya doin'? _I smiled at her sing song voice....

_Getting ready for training._.._why? _I stood outside the gym while we conversed.

_I've got a surprise for ya._..

_Oh yeah?_ _Is it a good surprise? I only like the good ones you know..._

_Well I think it's a great surprise.... turn around!_ I was so 'into' our little conversation, I hadn't heard her come up behind me. I turned around to see her standing with a huge grin on her face and someone crouched down behind her. By the clothing, I could tell it was a guardian, but I couldn't see who it was; which was saying something... imagine a big male Dhampir hiding behind a tiny Moroi female... Then he stood up... it was Mason...

"AAHHH!" I screamed... His face lit up as I ran to him half laughing, half screaming some more. I jumped into his arms and he spun me around with a huge grin on his face. I couldn't believe he was here! I was a little taken back when he bent forward and planted a kiss on me, but hey...that's Mason for you. "When did you get here?" I asked excitedly...still in his arms.


	15. Chapter 14

**Alrighty then... Here's the next installment. Rose gets to have a little fun in this chapter... Well, fun may not be exactly the right word, but it's fun from  
her perspective! LOL Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Sandy****Fourteen**

* * *

I couldn't believe it... he was here, after all this time. When we graduate and get sent off to our assignments, we never think that we'll see the friends we made again. Mason had been sent to England with one of the female Moroi that was in a lot of Lissa's classes.

"I got in about an hour ago." He said. "God I missed you Rose; still as gorgeous as ever I see." He put me down but kept his arm around my shoulder.

"Hey... it's a curse! But I suppose someone has to be lumped with extraordinary beauty and talent..." He laughed out loud and my heart kicked into overdrive at its sound. "How long will you be here for? Why are you even here?"

"Whoa there little one... take a breath and I'll answer all of your questions..."

"Told you it was a good surprise." Said Liss from beside me. I'd almost forgotten that she was here in all of the excitement... "_Oh_! That's nice..." She'd heard that thought flash through my mind and tried for mock hurt... but she didn't really pull it off all that well. I reached out, grabbing her into a headlock and pulled her into me with my free arm. I don't think there would be too many guardians who would do that to their charges, especially not to Lissa, but she thought it was pretty funny.... Alberta on the other hand didn't quite see the funny side to it.

"GUARDIAN HATHAWAY!" She yelled. We all looked up to see a horrified look on Alberta's face. Then she looked down at Lissa and then back to me. I quickly released her, but it was too late... I was in trouble.

_You've done it now.... Hate to be you! _Lissa said through the bond. We looked at each other and couldn't hold in the laughs that bubbled just at the surface... "She was just showing me how to grab someone in a headlock Guardian Petrov. I asked her to do it." Said Lissa in the most innocent voice.

"That's beside the point Princess." I think she wanted to say more, but she just went with a look that could kill.

"Look who's here Alberta." I said excitedly as I pulled Mason closer to my side.

"I know Rose." She said trying to hold in her smile. "I'm actually here to ask you Mason if you'd accompany us and a few Moroi on a shopping trip in the morning. There will now be _six_ Moroi coming with us and we need a few more guardians. I've already asked Guardian Castile if he'd..."

"Eddie's here too?" I spun around to look at Mason... His 100watt smile just lit up... "AAAHHHH!!" I screamed again and started jumping around like a ten year old.

"I was planning on surprising you again, but someone let the cat out of the bag." He said looking up to Alberta.

"Sorry. Didn't know." She said in her usual emotionless voice.

"Where is he? Did he come with you? How long is _he_ staying for? Is he here with his...?"

"Rose! Shush! I can see you have _just_ as much energy as always... He's around here somewhere."

"He's just putting your bags into your guest quarters," said Alberta, "and he said that he'd meet you all in the commons, at 'your' table after that. Oh, by the way, we'll be meeting at the car park at 7pm for the shopping trip, let Guardian Castile know please." And then she turned around back towards her office.

"SOOOOO! Start answering my questions." I pressed. Mason smiled and cupped my face in his hands.

"Can I have a proper hello kiss first?" He said. I smiled and leaned in but then Dimitri's face popped into my mind making my face turn slightly and I kissed his cheek. He pulled away with a pout and narrowed his eyes. "Since when do I get one of _those_?" I blushed and looked down to the ground, which made his eyebrow lift and his grin get wider. "Is there a special someone in your life Rose?" he asked. _Hmm, what do I say to that? _I thought...

_Tell him the truth, that's what. _Liss said silently.

"Maybe."

"Oh... juicy... do tell! It's not Ivashkov again is it? Tell me it isn't him...." he said.

"None of your business Megs..." As kids, we'd been made to read the story Ginger Megs and he was so much like my Mason, the name stuck. He hated it of course, so that's probably why it stuck.

"Don't start _that_ again Rosie Posie.... Two can play at that game." If anyone else had called me that, they'd be picking their teeth out of the back of their skull for the next week, but coming from Mase... well, it just made me laugh. Then I glanced over to the gym doors.

"Ah, can I meet you guys in just over an hour? I have training to teach."

"Yeah..._or_ we can come watch your awesome teaching skills." Suddenly everything that had happened between Dimitri and I flashed into my mind and I knew he'd want to talk about it. I couldn't do that if they were all here.

"Nah..." said Liss beside me. "Trust me, that's like watching paint dry. She's a boring teacher, unlike yours truly here, let's catch up instead and meet Rosie Posie later." She said with a wink. Even with the name I could have kissed her.

_Thanks babe. I owe you one._

_No you don't Rose, just take it off my tab! _I couldn't help but scoff at her. Not that she used compulsion, but I think her natural charisma sort of help sway Mason's decision to go back to the commons and wait. We said our goodbyes and I walked over to the gym. As I walked in, I saw him shirtless and doing chin ups. I stood almost mesmerised as I watched the muscles in his back flex and release as he pulled himself up, his arms were sculptured to perfection and I knew that I could watch his body all day long and never tire of it.

"Like what you see?" he said breaking the trance I was in. I looked down and felt my face blush at being caught out. As I looked back up he was now on the ground facing me and I unconsciously bit my lip as I stared at his amazing chest. Somehow I tore my eyes away from his body and looked at his face which was equally stunning, especially with the smile that was now plastered all over it.

"It's alright." I said in my most blasé voice. He raised one eyebrow and walked over to me and his scent hit me like a brick wall. "Have you done your laps?" I asked him.

"Just about to do them teach." He walked past me shaking his head and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I went into the bathroom where the lockers were and changed into some workout clothes and tied up my hair into a ponytail. _Best get it over and done with I suppose.... _I thought.

I went outside and joined him on the track and I was about to make chit chat when he spoke up. "So, who was that I saw you with? I haven't seen him around here before." I could hear the tone in his voice and I smiled slightly at the subtle sound of jealousy that laced each word.

"Oh, I didn't realise you saw us; I didn't see you walk past."

"I went through the other door; it looked like you were busy. And you still haven't answered my question by the way." I glanced back over to him and saw that even though he had a small smile on his face; it took a bit to keep it there.

"That was Mason Ashford. We grew up here together, we trained together and we graduated together. He was one of a very few people that could take me on in a fight and I love him a lot." I saw Dimitri's posture stiffen a little so I thought I'd clarify... "Like a brother." He looked at me for the first time and I smiled at him knowing what was going through his mind. "Another guardian that I graduated with is going to be at the commons later as well, if you want to, I'll introduce you to both of them. They're wonderful people; for all intents and purposes they're my family." He continued to look at me for a few more seconds as we ran.

"I'd like that." He said. We continued running in a comfortable silence after that and then we went back to the gym to start more work with the stake. I'd made sure that he'd been doing some more wrist strengthening exercises in his weight class, so I wanted to see if he'd improved. I gave him the stake and watched as he went through some set fighting routines. He was doing really well, but I showed him how to streamline his movements so that he could expel less energy to get the job done. After all, in a fight with real strigoi, you needed every ounce of energy you could get; using less energy for each kill meant that you had a better chance of walking away and coming home. He was a fast learner and he corrected his technique almost immediately. A few days ago I'd set up a little 'obstacle course' at the other end of the gym, ropes hanging from the ceiling, climbing walls of wood and rope... I was going to have a little fun....

"Okay. I have something new for you." I turned to walk to the back of the gym, but I could feel his gaze on me as he followed, "Stop lookin' at my ass." I said with a smile. I heard him laugh softly behind me and then as we reached our objective, I turned to face him. "This is to test your climbing skills. One day you might be in a position where you are alone with your charge, they may be injured and you need to get away, but the only way out is to climb." He looked over to the ropes and wooden walls and then he spotted the soft dummy that was lying on the floor.

"Is that my Moroi?" he asked.

"No. That's the Strigoi that you just killed. _I'll_ be your Moroi today, you'll be carrying _me_. After all, _they_ don't' move like a real body does." I said motioning to the dummy. I could tell by his eyes that he thought this exercise was going to be fun...but I had news for him, I was going to be a Moroi who was scared shitless and panicking, this was going to be anything but fun. Yesterday, I'd done the course in just three & a half minutes with the dummy, which by the way weighed more than I do, but I thought that seeing as I'd be screaming and thrashing in his arms, I'd give him five minutes. "So, now for the rules."

"There are rules?"

"Yup. There is a time limit of five minutes, there are a couple of routes that you can take to get to the finish over there and you just have to find the fastest one. You also can't injure me in any way. And just to make it more realistic..." I leaned forward and whispered... "I'm going to be....absolutely....terrified! After all, I've just seen you kill the strigoi that was trying to kill me." I could see he was thinking behind the smile that was on his face, probably wondering what I'd be doing while in his arms.

"Okay. Is that all?"

"Yeah. Just don't get distracted." I thanked God that I'd had a couple of years experience at keeping my guardian mask on, because had I let the smile creep across my face, it may have let him in on what I was about to do. I moved the 'dead strigoi' over to the start line, gave Dimitri his stake and made him stand near it, then I went over to where I would start my acting.... _Liss... I'm about to do some screaming... don't panic and if anyone looks like they're coming to rescue me, tell them not to bother, it's just a training exercise. _

_Shall do Rose.... What are you going to do to him?_

_Distract him. _I said silently, to which I heard laughter in my head. I sat down against one of the wooden walls and wrapped my arms around my legs. "Turn around Dimitri... you've just been fighting." He smiled and did what I asked, then I let the mother of all screams reverberate around the gym. He spun around with wide but confused eyes... "I'm terrified...remember." I said. Then I started screaming again. He jogged over to me but was glancing around the obstacle course that he had to go around and by the time he'd got to me, he'd had his course in mind. He reached down for me to take his hand but I just sat there screaming and shaking my head, arms tightly locked around my legs.

He bent down and said, "Princess, we need to leave, there may be more around." He called me princess. I shook my head again so he scooped me up into his arms and that's when I started thrashing. He nearly dropped his stake but somehow got it in the holster at his hip that I'd told him to put on. I wasn't holding back and he was starting to understand that fact... He quickly changed his plan; I think he'd planned on going over the wooden wall first, but with me going ballistic in his arms; that was no longer going to work. So he went over to the rope ladder and half threw me over his shoulder, I managed to wriggle down in his arms to my next stage of 'distraction'.

"Thank you Dimitri." I whispered against his neck. "I'm so scared, I thought I was going to die, thank you for saving me." Then I kissed his neck, over and over, making my way up to his ear. I noticed that we weren't moving anymore and I felt as well as heard, the growl emanating from his throat. I straightened up and looked at his face and saw that his eyes were closed. "You can't see strigoi with your eyes closed Dimitri." He opened his eyes to stare at me... "You're not moving... times a ticking!" He quickly shook his head and started to climb again. "AAAHHH!" I screamed again... "They're coming... hurry, they're behind us!" He got to the first platform so I then tried to get away from him, after all, when Moroi panic...they sometimes try to find a hiding spot on their own.

"Rose!" he yelled.... Within seconds I was yanked back into his arms.

"No! I have to hide... I don't want to die..." I yelled as I fought to free myself.

"Rose!" he said pulling my face up to his. "I won't let anything happen to you, do you trust me?" I nodded, "Then I need you to hold onto me and not let go. We have to jump." My eyes widened and I looked over to the rope that was about six feet away from where we now stood. I couldn't see how getting onto the rope would get us to the finish line, but it's his course.... I nodded again and he smiled quickly before picking me up and putting me onto his back. "Hold on tight." He said... _Yeah, sure... _I thought to myself...it's a long way down from here, but I did trust him. I put one arm over his shoulder, the other under his arm and gripped my hands tight around his chest, my legs clamped around his waist. He turned to speak to me... "Moroi aren't normally this strong....work out much?" I couldn't help but giggle... He took a few steps back and took a flying leap of the platform. Unconsciously I ducked my head into his back and tightened my grip on him as he gripped the rope. We slipped down a little bit and I knew that his hands would have been burnt. I could feel him wrap his leg around the rope and he started to pull us up. The thought of distracting him again, especially in _this_ position crossed my mind, but then I thought about how far from the ground we were and I decided against it.

He helped me to stand up on the ceiling rafter first, and then climbed up after me. We walked along the rafter back towards the obstacle course and looking down from here, I found myself smiling. _Very clever! _I thought to myself. From up here I could see the path that he'd take to climb back down, and it would take him right over the finish line. Once we got to the end of the rafter we were balancing on, he turned around and saw me smiling at him. "Didn't think of that, did ya teach?" he said with a smile of his own.

"So, how will you get me down? After all I'm just a weak Moroi..."

"You weren't so weak just before..." he said with a wink. "Climb on..." he said while holding onto the beams around us. _If you say so.... _I thought to myself. But instead of climbing onto his back, I manoeuvred myself around to his front and I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. The look on his face was something in between shock, horror and pleasure... Shock that I would put myself in _this _position, horror that I was in this position and he had to control himself and pleasure at me being in this position of my own accord....

"I'm scared." I said in a little girly voice... For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me as he leant forward, but he didn't....

"Hold on tight, Princess." He whispered in my ear. I buried my face into his neck and kissed him lightly. He growled again and took a deep breath, then jumped from the rafter to the top of the scaffolding. I let out a half scream, half laugh as we flew through the air, but his hands gripped the poles of the scaffold tightly and then I felt as he landed like a cat on the platform below it. I looked up into his eyes but before I could say anything, he spoke up... "I need you to jump around to the other side Princess.... I have to climb down from here and I wouldn't want to hurt you." I really liked this position, but I had to concede that a Moroi wouldn't be holding onto him like this... so I released my arms and legs and went around and climbed onto his back. He easily climbed down from there and landed on the ground, at the finish line. I got down off his back and glanced down at the stopwatch on my wrist and saw that he'd done all this in just under four minutes. _Damn! He can't know this.... _

As I looked up from my watch, I didn't get a chance to say anything as his lips were crushed onto mine. I didn't object, after all what was the point... I'd already said yes, I'd already confessed my feelings so I just went with it. I felt a hand go down and grab my backside, pulling me into him. I pulled away from his kiss, breathing hard and fighting every instinct to go a little further... _Oh man, what was I doing? _He made me feel so....alive, so amazing, he was becoming an addiction almost, his scent, his body, his eyes....

"That was mean..." he smiled at me. "Christian would never distract me like that."

"Well, I would hope not. But life is full of distractions; you just need to learn to block them out when the time calls for it. Don't you want to know how you went?" I asked him. By the look in his eyes, his 'time' was the last thing on his mind.... "Four minutes, even under 'extreme' conditions. You did well, but I would like to see you improve that time."

"And will you be my Moroi again?" he asked.

"If your good boy." I said with a shrug of my shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "But for now... I have to go shower because I have people to meet; so do you if you still want to."

"Lead the way, Roza." I raised my eyebrows at what he'd just called me. Seeing my confusion, he elaborated. "It's how we say Rose in Russia." I didn't normally like it when people called me anything but Rose, but wriggled out of his arms and walked to the showers.


	16. Chapter 15

**Well, I'm glad to see you all like the story so much... :-D Rose is so naughty, isn't she... Well, some of you have been asking for more of Dimitri's POV, so here is a chapter for all of you... I think I'm starting to think the world needs  
more people like Dimitri Belikov!!! hehehe  
Enjoy everyone.**

**Sandy****Fifteen**

* * *

Dimitri's Point Of View

My eyes narrowed and I had to use all of my self control that I'd learnt up until now to keep from walking over there and telling him to get his hands of Rose. _Whoever_ he was, Rose was happy to see him; that much I could see for myself. I still wasn't sure what Ivashkov's motives were concerning Rose, now I had this one too. _Alright already...you've said hello, you've kissed her, now put her down... _I thought to myself. I had to laugh briefly when he did just that, but he still didn't take his arm off her, it was like he was claiming ownership of her... _I don't think so buddy! _I took a deep breath and sighed heavily, I had to walk away before I did or said something that I'd regret. As I went to walk to the gym doors on the side of the building when I heard him laugh; as I looked over to them I noticed for the first time that the princess was with them... _Huh!_ Didn't see her before... Just then Rose grabbed the Princess around the neck into a headlock, and I stood there shocked. I have never seen anyone, ever... do that to a Moroi before, especially one who is their charge, _and_ a Royal to boot, Rose really was one of a kind. I changed my mind about going to the side doors, it would take me past them and that was something that I didn't need right now, so I did a 180 and decided to go through the front door instead.

I walked into the gym and noticed that the dummies weren't out or anything, but that contraption was there still. It appeared a couple of days ago when I came in for our after school practice, I'd asked Rose about it but she just said it was something one of the Guardians wanted to have put up. It was quite the construction really, three stories high of scaffolding and platforms, ropes dangled from the overhead rafters and the scaffolding only about six feet lower than that. There were self-standing wooden walls, others were made netted rope, but most of all, it looked like something I'd love to muck around on for a while... I thought about going to do my laps, but that would mean going back out there, not that I would mind, but I had only just got Rose to acknowledge her feelings for me and I didn't want to do something to jeopardise the progress we'd made, so I went over to the chin up's bar and started to do them. I'd done about forty or so when I'd realised how hot it was in here, my shirt was wringing wet already, so I jumped down and took it off leaving me in just my running shorts, then I got back up and continued. I'd only done about twenty more when I became aware of her scent blowing in as she'd opened the door. _Oh! That's how she knows when I come in..... _I smiled to myself when I noticed that she was still behind me, probably watching me, luckily I only had five left to do...

"Like what you see?" I said. I let go of the bar once more and turned around to see her staring at the ground, but it certainly didn't hid her flushed cheeks. I kept watching her as she looked up and bit her lip, but her eyes didn't go any higher than my chest. I knew she liked my body and I almost said something else when she finally looked at my face. I had to work really hard not to laugh at her expression, but the fact that I could render her speechless just by standing in front of her made me feel on top of the world.

"It's alright." She said. She tried to make it sound like my sweaty, half naked body wasn't driving her nuts right now, but I read right through it. "Have you done your laps? She asked.

"Just about to do them teach." I walked past her to the doors shaking my head and I heard her take a deep breath. I'd only done two laps when I saw the gym doors open; she'd changed into her workout gear and had her hair up. She jogged up beside me and we ran for a minute before curiosity got the better of me. "So, who was that I saw you with? I haven't seen him around here before." Even I could hear the tone in my voice and then I saw her smile at me from the corner of my eye.

"Oh, I didn't realise you saw us; I didn't see you walk past." She said. _Mmm, that's probably because you were otherwise occupied...._

"I went through the other door; it looked like you were busy. And you still haven't answered my question by the way." I kept the smile on my face as I kept my eyes forward, but she was avoiding my question and it annoyed me.

"That was Mason Ashford." She said matter-of-factly. "We grew up here together, we trained together and we graduated together. He was one of a very few people that could take me on in a fight and I love him a lot." I couldn't help but stiffen when she said that she loved him. _Competition...I knew it! _"Like a brother." She added quickly. I looked at her smiling face, knowing that she could read me just as easily as I could read her. "Another guardian that I graduated with is going to be at the commons later as well, if you want to, I'll introduce you to both of them. They're wonderful people; for all intents and purposes they're my family." Something passed over her face as she said that... she really did want me to know her friends. That was a good sign...wasn't it?

"I'd like that." I said. We finished the laps in silence and then went back to the gym. She gave me the stake and told me to go through some of the routines and she stood back and watched me. There were a few times that she corrected my hold on the stake, the entry angle and I noticed that it wasn't as tiring as fast as I normally did. She really is an amazing fighter and I knew how lucky I'd been to have her teach me, but I smiled on the inside as I thought about the other reason I'd been lucky to have her in my life. She walked closer to me and smiled so I stood back and waited to see what she would say.

"Okay. I have something new for you." She said. _This should be interesting... _I thought. She turned and walked towards the back of the gym, but I had much better things to look at than the gym. Her body was divine, sculptured to perfection and for the second time today I had to rely on my newly acquired self control. "Stop lookin' at my ass." She said. I could hear her smile in what she'd said and I couldn't help but laugh in return and then she turned to face me. "This is to test your climbing skills. One day you might be in a position where you are alone with your charge, they may be injured and you need to get away, but the only way out is to climb." I looked over to the contraption that I'd been looking at before but then I noticed a sack dummy lying on the floor, I didn't like the looks of that....it looked heavy.

"Is that my Moroi?" I asked her.

"No. That's the Strigoi that you just killed. _I'll_ be your Moroi today, you'll be carrying _me_." She said. _Excellent!! _"After all, _they_ don't' move like a real body does."_ They most certainly don't, especially not like your body. _I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face as I thought about holding her in my arms. Finally I could hold her and if anyone saw us, it would be alright, I'd have an excuse. Then I saw her expression change... The look in her eyes said that she had something nasty planned.... I was about to ask her when she spoke.

"So, now for the rules." _Yup! I knew it... Nasty was on its way..._

"There are rules?"

"Yup. There is a time limit of five minutes." _Okay.... _"There are a couple of routes that you can take to get to the finish over there and you just have to find the fastest one. You also can't injure me in any way. And just to make it more realistic..." and then she leaned forward and whispered in my ear... "I'm going to be....absolutely....terrified!" I glanced into her eyes and _knew_ that this wasn't going to be as easy as I'd first thought. "After all, I've just seen you kill the strigoi that was trying to kill me." What on _earth_ was she going to do? It didn't matter; nothing could detract from the fact that I was going to be holding her very close, very shortly.... _Bring it on! _

"Okay. Is that all?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just don't get distracted." I couldn't tell what she meant by that, nothing showed on her face, but I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have said that unless she meant it. _Crap! _She grabbed the 'strigoi' and dragged it over to one side of the room, then she gave me a stake and a holster and told me to go stand near it. I put the holster on as I walked over to the dummy and then looked back to her only to see her sitting against one of the wooden walls; arms wrapped around her legs. "Turn around Dimitri... you've just been fighting." I smiled and then turned around to face my now dead adversary. Then I heard an almighty scream, I spun around thinking that she'd somehow been hurt in the two seconds since I'd taken my eyes off her, but she was just sitting there screaming... I thought maybe something had happened to the princess and she knew it through the bond, but then she stopped screaming and narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm terrified...remember." She said slightly exasperated.

Then the screaming started again, I shook my head as I jogged over to her but I was looking up at the structure thinking of a way around to the finish line. I got to her with a plan in mind and reached out a hand to help her up but she just continued to scream and shaking her head, still wrapped up in a ball. She was _not_ going to make this easy....

I bent down and looked directly into her eyes, "Princess, we need to leave, there may be more around." I said as I played my part in the charade. She paused slightly when I called her princess, but she just shook her head so I scooped her into my arms, that's when she really let me have it, she thrashed around in my arms so much I nearly dropped my stake so I quickly holstered it so that I could get a better hold on her. I had planned on going over the wooden wall, but there was no way that was going to happen with this thrashing monster in my arms. I saw the rope ladder to my right and quickly found a way up the scaffold, but I wasn't going to get up there holding Rose like this... so I threw her over my shoulder. I could feel her wriggling back down my front but I was halfway up the ladder by then and I was trying to get to the next stage as fast as I could.

"Thank you Dimitri." She whispered against my neck. "I'm so scared, I thought I was going to die, thank you for saving me." Then I nearly let go of the ropes in my hands.... She kissed my neck over and over and then my ear. My eyes shut as my brain stopped moving my arms or legs, ten percent of my conscious mind was keeping grip on the thing in my hands and the other ninety percent was revelling in the feeling of her lips and tongue on my skin.

"You can't see strigoi with your eyes closed Dimitri." Her voice brought me out of my stupor and I opened my eyes to see her staring back at me... "You're not moving... times a ticking!" She said with an evil grin. I shook his head as I realised just what lengths she would go to, to _distract_ me and then I started to climb again. "AAAHHH!" She let out another ear piercing scream. "They're coming... hurry, they're behind us!" I smiled internally at her terrible acting skills... _Thank God you're a great fighter, because your acting sucks! _I thought. I finally got to the first platform, but she jumped out of my grip, _shit_ she's fast!

"Rose!" I yelled.... I quickly had her back in my arms but she continued her 'game'.

"No! I have to hide... I don't want to die..."

"Rose!" I gripped her face with one hand while the other clamped around her back and made her look at me. "I _won't_ let anything happen to you, do you trust me?" I asked hoping she'd hear my double meaning. "Then I need you to hold onto me and not let go. We have to jump." She quickly understood my meaning and her eyes widened as she looked over to the rope. It was a good distance out from the platform but that's where we were going. She looked at the rope trying to figure out my course but was coming up empty but she nodded anyway. I smiled as I grabbed her and put her on my back. "Hold on tight." I said. Her forehead creased as she looked to the ground but she clamped herself on with a vice like grip. Before jumping, I turned so that I could see her face... "Moroi aren't normally this strong....work out much?" She giggled as I stepped back a few steps and then leapt out to the rope. I didn't think it was possible, but her grip got tighter as we flew through the air... I grabbed onto the rope and felt the skin on my hands burn as we slipped down, I ignored the pain and wrapped my leg around the rope and used it to pull myself and my 'Moroi' up to the rafters.

I couldn't get up without getting her off my back first and then I pulled myself up to sit in front of where she was sitting. I took her hand and led her to the end of the rafter, glancing over I saw her smiling as she finally realised why I took this route, but knowing her, she wouldn't let on that I'd done well. "Didn't think of that, did ya teach?" I said smiling.

"So, how will you get _me_ down? After all I'm just a weak Moroi..." she said. _Don't make me laugh! You're nothing near weak!_

"You weren't so weak just before... Climb on..." I said with a wink and holding onto the beam above my head. I thought she'd get on my back like she'd done before, but no.... she climbed around to my front and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her face only inches from my face, lips within kissing distance and then my heart nearly stopped when she lifted her legs up around my waist. I couldn't believe she'd do this... I almost forgot that we were nearly thirty feet off the ground, but I quickly put my thoughts back to the task at hand.

"I'm scared." She squeaked... She really was doing a _fantastic_ job at distraction, but I was determined not to give in. So I leant in and nuzzled up to her ear as I spoke.

"Hold on tight, Princess." I whispered. She buried her face into my neck and kissed me again. I couldn't help the growl that emanated from my throat...she really _was_ going to pay for this... She let out this sort of scream as I jumped off the rafter; I grabbed onto the top rail of the scaffolding and then landed on the platform with ease. I looked down at her face and waited for her to look at me. "I need you to jump around to the other side _Princess_.... I have to climb down from here and I wouldn't want to hurt you." For a moment I didn't think she was going to let go of me but then I felt her legs release, I waited for her to climb onto my back and then I quickly made my way down the scaffolding and landed right on the finish line. She got down and looked at her watch, but after everything that she'd done to me in the last five minutes or so, I was going to let her know how much restraint I'd shown, my time didn't really matter right now. As she looked up at me, I reached for her face and kissed her with all my pent up emotion. I took her by surprise at first but she quickly returned my kiss, which made my heart race; my hand slid down her back and I grabbed her exquisite butt. I was quickly getting carried away and I pulled her tightly into my body. She pulled her face away from me and she was breathing as hard as I was as well as fighting for her own self control.

"That was mean..." I said with a smile. "Christian would never distract me like that."

"Well, I would hope not. But life is full of distractions; you just need to learn to block them out when the time calls for it. Don't you want to know how you went?" she asked me. I still couldn't care less about how long I took, I just wanted to kiss her again...amongst other things. "Four minutes, even under 'extreme' conditions. You did well, but I would like to see you improve that time."

"And will you be my Moroi again?" I asked hopefully.

"If you're a good boy." She said. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. "But for now... I have to go shower because I have people to meet; so do you if you still want to."

"Lead the way, Roza." I'd never called her this before, it was the Russian version of 'Rose' and I tended to revert back to my Russian heritage when I relaxed, which is exactly how I felt when I was around her. She was confused about the name so I explained, "It's how we say Rose in Russia." Then she flashed a quick smile and wriggled out of my arms; turning to walk to the showers. _I love you Roza. _I said to myself as I watched her walk away.

Her shower door shut as I walked into the bathroom, so I took the shower cubicle beside hers; _that_ probably wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had. I was quite tall, and I only had to walk up to the dividing wall and I would have seen every bit of her. I stood with my head under the water, hoping that my desperate grasp of self control would stay strong until I finished showering but the fact that _she_ was standing naked, three feet away from me kept eating away at my will to stay strong. _Why did I do things like this to myself? _

"Do you have soap in there?" She asked. I looked behind me and saw a new cake of soap in the soap holder...

"No, I don't." And I smiled as I saw her hand come over the wall; I took a step forward and reached up to take the soap but was met with her heart stopping eyes from the other side. "Thank you." I said. It came out more of a whisper as I took in her appearance, I thought she was sexy before, but a 'wet Rose' was nearly my undoing. She tilted her head and unleashed her smile on me.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to lather up...._reeeeeally_ well!" My jaw clenched as I took a deep calming breath and then I walked back under the water growling at her teasing.

"I think I liked you better before." I said under my breath, but she heard me and started to laugh.

"I could always go back to my previous self if you'd like."

"NO!... no, no..." I looked to my left at the wall in between us and thought of a great way to get my own back for all the torture she'd put me through before. I took a slow step towards the shower wall and looked over. I swallowed deeply as I saw her...she had her back to me. Somehow she knew I was looking at her and she turned to look at me over her shoulder.

"See something you like?" she said throwing my words back at me...

"You have no idea." Her smile lit up her face and then she turned around and faced me. My heart stopped as I took in her amazing body, I know I'd seen her this way before, but it was only a quick glance before I turned away... this time... she wanted me to see her. Then she walked up to the wall where she stood before.

"You're supposed to be showering. Not looking at me." She whispered.

"You had your fun before, now I'm having mine." I told her. She flashed that 100 watt smile and my heart melted. "I think I need to leave now, while I still can." I said.

"If that's what you need to do." She said. Then she walked backwards until she was under the water again. I'd never thought that someone could die from teasing alone, but then again, I'd never me Rose Hathaway before coming here either... She was going to be the death of me.

**I thought I'd let you all in on something that I nearly put into the story... When Dimitri told Rose that he was going to jump for the rope, he told her to 'hold on tight'.... well, I was actually going to add... 'spider monkey' to the expression, I really, really wanted to but I thought that would sound corny... so I didn't! hehehe Spider monkey is actually a name I've called my 12 yr old son, since he was a baby... He loved being piggybacked as a toddler.... Weird huh! :-D**


	17. Chapter 16

**Okay, Well here's the next chapter finally... It ended up a little longer than normal, but I didn't think you guys would mind... :-D  
So I hope you all enjoy!**

**Sandy**

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**Sixteen**

With Friends Like These...

I couldn't believe I'd just done that! I have as much adrenaline coursing through me now as I did when I was fighting strigoi! Having him in the shower beside me was making it awfully hard to concentrate on the task at hand... showering! It almost felt like there was a very tight, invisible elastic band made of sexual tension stretched between the two of us... One wrong move and it would snap, but the whole time it was pulling us closer and closer. I could hear him breathing and I could see his arms moving from over the joining wall, if he stepped just a little closer, he would easily be able to see over it. I must admit that there was a little voice in my head willing him to do just that. I walked backwards putting my head under the water so that I could shampoo it and then I thought I'd ask if he had any soap...

"Do you have soap in there?" He didn't say anything at first so I walked up to the wall, soap in hand.

"No, I don't." He said. I reached up and held the soap out on my upturned palm, next thing I saw was his eyes, those dangerous eyes. "Thank you." He said softly. I could see him looking at my wet hair and before I could stop it, a typical 'Rose' retort came out of my mouth.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to lather up...._reeeeeally _well!" His eyes popped and I heard him take a deep breath before walking back under the water growling all the way. I really had to fight not to laugh... I haven't had this much fun in....ever really. The way I looked at it was that I was teaching him a valuable lesson in self control, but I'd leave my grading until I found out just how far I could stretch that self control. I know that's mean, but hey, what's a girl to do?

"I think I liked you better before." He mumbled. I don't know if he meant for me to hear or not, but I couldn't help but laugh. I'd re-wet my hair and had the shampoo in my hand when I thought I'd give him an 'out' of the situation...

"I could always go back to my previous self if you'd like."

"NO!... no, no..." He said quickly. I smiled and turned around when I heard the water hitting the floor of his shower.... I could tell he was no longer standing under it, that meant that he was back at the wall. I turned to look over my shoulder and sure enough, he was looking at me, (luckily I had my back to him.)

"See something you like?" I asked him thinking of when he'd asked me that very question in the gym.

"You have no idea." He said with a slight growl. Somehow I managed not to blush, but those words did a lot for my ego. I decided to test his self control just a little more, so I steeled myself and turned around to face him. I almost thought that he was going to knock the wall down at first, but then I thought I'd shocked him into stone....he didn't move, so walked up to him.

"You're supposed to be showering. Not looking at me." I whispered. I could see the desire in his eyes and I briefly wondered if I'd done the right thing...yes I wanted more, I also knew he wanted more, but then was it fair to either of us to take that next step? But then it hit me.... Why shouldn't we? We, as in Dhampir's, could die any day. We as a race normally didn't make old age, not many of us anyway, especially if we chose to be Guardians, so why shouldn't we grab happiness when it's offered? Why not revel in it when we find someone that we connect with? It was in that brief second of clarity that I made up my mind that I wanted him...all of him....while I could.

"You had your fun before, now I'm having mine." He said. My heart was racing with desire, I knew what I wanted now and me being me had full intentions of getting what I wanted. My smile automatically curled into my man eating smile that I used to perfection, and then I saw him grasp what little self control he had left, "I think I need to leave now, while I still can." I said.

"If that's what you need to do." I said. Then I walked backwards under the water again. He didn't move straight away, I think he was trying to decide his next move. But I finally got to wash my hair after he walked away from the wall and turned his shower off. I could hear him getting dressed so I knew that he wasn't going to come knocking... I quickly finished my shower and dried off but realised that in my haste to get into the showers, I hadn't got my change of clothes out of my locker. "Dimitri, are you still out there?"

"Yeah."

"Could you do me a favour please?"

"Yeah." I blushed thinking about what I had to ask him to do.

"I forgot to get my clothes; can you get them out of my locker please?" I waited for an answer but there wasn't one. Was he really considering _not _getting my clothes? If not, I'd just go and get them myself; after all, I had my towel this time. "Dimitri?"

"Hang on... I'm thinking!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well think quick or else I'll just come get them myself." As soon as I said that I realised that I'd just given him a reason to just sit exactly where he was. I waited for another ten seconds or so, but I still didn't hear him move so I wrapped my towel around me and opened the door. Sure enough, he was sitting on the bench opposite the showers, leaning back on his hands with a smile on his face.

"I thought about it and when you offered another solution, I decided not to get your clothes."

"That much I already gathered." I walked past him towards my locker and I could feel his eyes following me. As I opened my locker and grabbed my clothes, his hand grabbed my hip from behind.

"You would have to be the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on Rose." He whispered in my ear. He pulled my wet hair away from my neck and kissed my tender skin. His other hand slowly traced up one leg and slipped just under the bottom of the towel making my skin tingle and raise in goosebumps, by this time my breathing was becoming a little ragged. "And as such, I would expect that you have had plenty of experience in testing people of their self control." His hand came out from under the towel and continued its way up. He bit my ear as his hand came around to my stomach. "Is that what you're doing right now Rose? Testing my self control?" His hand traced up my side, then my arm and across my chest that was above the towel. "I have _excellent _self control Rose.... What's yours like?" His hand touched my chin and turned me to face him; then his lips brushed against mine, I swallowed heavily as my will teetered on a knifes edge. "I'll wait for you outside then." He said against my lips. I waited for his kiss with my eyes closed but it never came, I opened my eyes to see him walking out the bathroom doors, smiling at me the whole way.

"Now _I'm_ going to need a cold shower..." I mumbled to myself... After getting myself calmed down and dressed I walked out into the gym and Dimitri was leaning against the wall waiting for me.

"All dressed I see." He really was enjoying himself; he had more self control than I had thought.

"Mmm. No thanks to you." He laughed which made my heart pick up speed.

"You deserved that." He said playfully. He was probably right about that, for the last hour and a bit I'd teased him mercilessly. I was going to walk past him but I needed to be close to him.

"Wanna come meet my friends?" I said when we were only an inch or two apart to which he replied with a nod, then we walked out together. "The guy you saw before was Guardian Mason Ashford and my other friend is Guardian Eddie Castile. I'm not exactly sure why they're here; I didn't get a chance to ask too many questions before I met you for your training." I opened the door of the commons and my eyes instantly fell onto 'our' table.

"Rose!" yelled Eddie. I took off and ran into his arms.

"Eddie... I can't believe you're here." I gave him a big kiss on the cheek before looking back to Mason's smiling face. "Come here you big brute!" I held one arm out as Eddie held me off the floor in his arms. Mason came over and took me out of Eddie's arms and into his own.

"Hathaway, you get more gorgeous every time I lay eyes on you." I got another kiss on the cheek from Mase and he finally let me down.

"True, but I think it's more because you're surrounded by mere mortals all of the time. It's just a shock when you're eyes have to adjust to this!" I motioned down my body. Everyone cracked up laughing, but I thought I had a pretty good theory going on.

"Shit Rose... I forgot what it's like to live with you. You make life worth living my darling." Said Eddie. I missed them so much.

"That she does boys, that she does." I looked up to see Adrian walking towards me.

"What are you doing here lover boy?" I asked him. Normally by this time he was onto his second bottle of Vodka.

"I heard that some riff raff had moved in and I knew they'd gravitate to you my love, so I wanted to see what competition there might be and if I needed to book a flight back to Court or not. But now, seeing what the wind blew in, I don't think I'll bother with the tickets...no competition here!" he said with a wink. I heard a slight growl beside me and realised I hadn't introduced him to everyone yet.

"Mmm, whatever. Uh guys, I'd like to introduce you to my student. This is Dimitri Belikov, originally from Russia, and then Dunseith Academy in North Dakota. Dimitri, this is Mason Ashford and Eddie Castile, my two partners in crime." I saw the glance that went between Mase and Eddie and Eddie was the first to shake his hand.

"She's not giving you too much of a hard time is she?"

"Hard time? Yeah she does actually." I cringed internally as I glanced at him, knowing what he meant but the guys wouldn't have picked up on it. "She's a hard task master that's for sure." Adrian couldn't hold in the laugh beside me which made me blush more than Dimitri's double edged words did, so I tried to cover it up as best I could.

"Oh stop it...you're making me blush!" Looking at my friends faces, I think they took my line without too much of a problem. "Have a seat Dimitri; you're making the place look untidy." We sat down and the guys fell into telling stories of what we used to get up to, well mostly what I'd got up to as a novice.

"Did she ever tell you about the time that she got caught in a compromising position in one of the unused rooms in the dorms by Guardian Alto?" I shot Mase a glare but it just stirred him on to tell Dimitri all about it.

"You said you were a good girl Rose." Dimitri said casually.

"HUH! Rose didn't know the meaning of good when she was seventeen." Liss had to have her two cents worth.... No show without Punch! "She was the wildest student St Vlad's has ever known."

"What is it...pick on Rose night or something?"

"You love it, you know you do." Said Adrian.

"You know Adrian... if you'd like to make yourself useful; you could go get me a couple of donuts. I need something sweet to counteract all the sourness at this table!" I glared at him and he shook his head. But Adrian being Adrian had a retort on hand....

"Rose... if you want something sweet, come sit over here." He said patting his lap.

"Hey, what about the time that you took the dare and ran starkers through the quad." Eddie thankfully changed the course of the conversation, much to Adrian's amusement, but he did get up to get me my donuts. Dimitri did the eyebrow raising thing that I can't seem to master and then started to laugh.

"I would have paid to see that!" he said. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at Dimitri in surprise... _Shit! _"What? I'm male!" He said in explanation. That cracked everyone up to the point where even Mason was nearly on the floor. Liss was holding her stomach, gasping for breath and I was getting just a tad annoyed that I seemed to be everyone's source of amusement.

"So Dimitri," I could see by Mason's eyes he'd picked up on Dimitri's little comment and was about to go fishing... "Do you have anyone special in your life?"

"Maybe."

"Only maybe? I would have thought someone...like you...would be beating the girls away with a stick!" Adrian was back now with three super sweet donuts and took the advantage of a quick kiss to the cheek... If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that he was doing all he could to antagonise Dimitri.

"A little birdie told me that Cassandra Blake has been following you around like a bad rash." Adrian said before Dimitri had a chance of answering Mason. Adrian quickly glanced at me and winked and then I knew that he was trying to make Dimitri say something else.

"Yeah I know, she's not really my type though." _Oh God...wrong thing to say to Adrian..._

"Oh really... what _is_ your 'type' then? Obviously not blonde; is it redhead....or brunette?"

"Brunette actually. What's yours?"

"Same..." he said smirking still. Then he looked over to me again and made sure everyone knew he was checking me out and then continued. "My type is pretty much sitting beside you actually."

"Mmm, mine too." Mason added.

"Gees, a girl could get a complex being around you lot." Said Lissa with as much sarcasm as she can muster. I could feel that she was having a ball though.

"Ah Lissa, you're our sister, it would be just _sooo_ wrong to look at you like that!" said Mason as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I thought Rose was a sister too?" She said. There was a chorus of 'NO, no, no's' and 'definitely nots' and 'not likely's' being yelled...

"Rose...you're being uncharacteristically quiet over there. What's your type?" Adrian asked me.

_You asked for it buddy! _"Hmm... well, I definitely like 'tall'..." Adrian, Eddie and Mason all leant forward when I said that. "Um, someone who could take me in a fight."

"Huh! That's you out buddy!" Mason laughed as he playfully pushed Adrian's shoulder.

"I also like _lots_ of muscle..."

"Huh! You're out too bozo!" he said to Eddie... "That leaves me and Belikov!" I couldn't stop the blush that rose up from my neck to my face... And Mason's eyes lifted as he saw it. "What else Rosie?" I had a few more 'likes' running through my head, but that would let the cat out of the bag to an already inquisitive Mason... _I like them brunette, long hair and an accent wouldn't go astray! _Yeah...probably not something I should say right now!

"A little humility wouldn't go astray..."

"Gees Rose, you didn't have to beat around the bush you know, you could have just said that '_this'_ is what steams your dreams..." he said waving his hands up and down his body.

"Mase, you'd come out with third degree burns if you knew what my dreams entailed." A chorus of laughter and shoulder slapping went around the table...

"Aint that the truth." Said Adrian with the biggest smirk of them all.

"Well, seeing as we _all_ have to be up early in the morning for our shopping trip and you obviously don't need me here to continue your hilarity, I'm going to bed." I said as I stood up from the table glaring at my now highly amused friends. I tried to make out that I was annoyed, but no-one seemed to be paying much attention.

"Oh Rose... Don't go yet. You only just got here." Said Eddie. I really didn't want to go, but I could feel the tension building in the Russian beside me and I really did have to get up early in the morning.

"Good night all, sleep well." Mason got up from his chair and blocked my exit from the table by wrapping me up in his arms.

"Can I have good night kiss before you go?" he said seductively. I stood there shaking my head and trying not to laugh. "Oh come on Rose, lover boy isn't here, he'll never know.... I won't tell if you don't." Knowing '_lover_ _boy'_ was sitting down behind me and not being able to see what his face looked like worried me a little. His self control was better than I'd thought, but I didn't know if it extended to other people.

"Mase, even...._if...._the object of my affection isn't in the room right now, what makes you think that I'll bestow one of _my _kisses on you?" Mason was only just containing his laughter as Eddie screeched and hissed like a cat beside us.

"Cause I know that you've been dreaming of it ever since I left."

"No.... they were your dreams buddy." I smiled as I gave a quick punch to his chest. "Behave yourself, or I may have kick your ass!"

"Oh, can we watch?" said Adrian. I looked back to Dimitri and I could see how much self control he was using at the moment. I wriggled out of Mason's arms and pushed him back to his chair.

"You have a big day tomorrow," I said to Dimitri. "You should be heading off too." I said to him. He nodded at everyone and then stood up.

"I can't wait to hear more stories about Rose while you're here. They're very entertaining." Dimitri said as he walked up behind me.

"Oh, you have no idea how _entertaining_ Rose can be." Said Adrian. Liss and I both glared at him. I saw Adrian looking at Dimitri in a very peculiar way, the grin on his face looked like it was trying to convey a message or something.

"Yeah, I'm especially funny to watch when I start beating up Moroi assholes..." I said while still glaring at Adrian. "Wanna watch?" I asked Dimitri.

"Could be fun." He said.... _Score one for Dimitri!_ "But it would probably be more fun if I could join in." _Score two!_

_Someone sounds a little jealous Rose... _Lissa said silently.

_Mmm, tomorrow should be fun then hey!_ She laughed softly but everyone still heard her.

"What did you just say?" Mason asked looking between the two of us. Liss and I just shrugged and looked all innocent...

"Don't know what you mean Mase." She said. "Well, I'm tired too, so I think I'll come up with you Rose. Don't be late in the morning will you guys, just imagine all day shopping... Won't _that_ be fun?" She was answered with a lot of moans and groans, so we said goodnight again and the three of us walked to the door. "Those guys never change do they Rose?"

"No they don't. But as exasperating as they are, I had fun... sort of." We talked some more before finally getting to the teachers building that we lived in. "I'll walk you to your room Liss and then I'll get Dimitri back to his dorm." I said.

"I think I can make it myself you know." He said.

"It's past curfew, you'll need an escort." I told him, plus I sort of wanted him to know where my room was in case he ever needed to find me. We walked up to the second floor and hung around while Liss dug her keys out from her pocket and then said goodnight. "Night Liss, if I don't see you beforehand, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow." Once she'd gone inside and shut the door, we turned back towards the stairs, "That's my room" I told him as we passed it.

"Good to know..." He said with a smile. "Your friends are...excited to see you again."

"Yeah... Mason's a flirt from way back. I don't think he knows how _not _to flirt." He didn't say anything else until we'd made our way downstairs and out into the open.

"So, you have an 'object of affection' hey? Anyone I know?" He said as we started to cross the quad but because of the time, we were the only ones out here.

"I doubt it." He abruptly stepped in front of me and just stared at me with his head tilted to one side. "But he's pretty hot, great kisser too. Has the body of a God, face of an angel, mind of a devil... He rocks my world..." I smiled at him and then walked past him towards the Dhampir dorm. I looked back over my shoulder and saw him following me with a satisfied smirk on his face.


	18. Chapter 17

**I know... I know... I'm late!!! LOL Sorry... I hope you all like this chapter...  
Things are getting interesting now... (Wink, wink) hehehe**

**Enjoy... Sandy**

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**Seventeen**

The next morning I walked down to the car park with Lissa and I saw that we weren't the first ones to arrive; Mason and Eddie were talking to Alberta and Stan by the Academy's black SUV's.

"Morning Sunshine." Mason said coming up to me with a smile. "So, are you ever going to let me in on your 'secret'?" I glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone had heard his question and I could have kicked him when I saw Alberta's eyebrow lift.

"I don't have a secret Mase. And if you _do_ think that, then it's all in your mind..." I said twirling my finger at my temple in a 'you're nuts' gesture. He just grinned at me and I had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn't going to let this go anytime soon.

"Sure Rosie, whatever you say." He said with a wink. I was about to fire off one of my witty responses but I was interrupted.

"Oh, finally..." said Eddie. I turned around to see everyone who was coming on our shopping trip. Dimitri walked with the other novices but his height made him stand out. Cassie walked between him and Grayson and behind them walked Mia, Hope and Trudy Lazar; why she was coming was beyond me, but this was certainly going to be an interesting day.....Dimitri, Hope, Me and a slightly suspicious Mason spending the day together... fan-friggin-tastic! Adrian and Christian followed the girls, so now our 'little' shopping trip now consisted of six Moroi, three Novices and five trained guardians, yeah....we weren't going stick out in public, not at all....

Alberta split us all up and I found myself in the car with Mason who already had the keys to one of the cars and Adrian who jumped in early to ride shotgun... that left me in the back with Dimitri, Cassie, Lissa and Christian. Everyone else piled into the other car.

Lissa and Christian made themselves comfortable on the back seat and pulled the seats back into place, effectively saying that no-one else was invited to sit with them, leaving me to share with Dimitri and Cassie. It was going to be a long two hour drive to the mall, especially with Dimitri's hand occasionally touching my leg and Cassie practically throwing herself at him all under the watchful glare of Mason in the rear view mirror. Every now and then Adrian would look around at us three in the middle and barely hold in his amusement.

"So Rose..." Lissa said from behind me. "As your charge, I'm letting you know that I want you to dress up for the dance, no guardian garb alright. You'll be getting something here today too."

"Liss, I think I've been to enough dances in my life, I don't need to go to this one."

"Oh, Guardian Hathaway, you _have_ to dress up." Said Cassie... "You never seem to get to have any fun, one night won't hurt." I looked at her slightly annoyed at the fact that she was right but then I wondered who she was going with.

"Do you have a date for the dance yet Cassie?"

"No, not yet. Just waiting for the right person to ask me." Then she quickly glanced up to Dimitri. I think he was well aware of her meaning _and_ her glance, but he didn't react in anyway, he just continued to look down at his hands. I must admit that I was silently happy with his handling of the situation. "So Guardian Hathaway, do you think there will be much of a chance that we will come up against any strigoi while we're out today?" She asked.

"I hope not Cassie, but you never know when they'll turn up. You have to constantly stay on alert and make sure you know where your Moroi is at all times. But that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy yourselves." We finally made it to the mall and I for one was extremely happy to get out of that car.

"Alright everyone." Called Alberta. "Now, novices will be paired with a guardian and you will all have your assigned Moroi. Princess, you will have two – Cassie and Guardian Ashford. Mia you will have Guardian Alto, Trudy, you're with me, Hope you will have Grayson and Guardian Castile, Lord Ivashkov is with Guardian Hathaway and Lord Ozera is with Belikov. Now we can either go as a group or we can split into two, what shall it be?" She glanced around and then raised her eyebrows at me.

"Two groups sound good, unless everyone else wants to stick together." I said.

"Two's fine." Said Hope. "I'll go with Mia and Trudy and meet you all at the food hall in two hours if you'd like." I saw Dimitri give a slight eye roll and then looked towards the shops.

"Okay then, we'll see you all in two hours." Said Alberta. "Do you all have your ear pieces?" she asked me and Mason. We both nodded and then the other group walked off.

"We don't have any earpieces Guardian Hathaway." Said Cassie.

"No, you don't."

"Well little Dhampir," said Adrian as he draped his arm around my shoulder. "Let's go get you the sexiest dress we can find, shall we?" I looked at him as he grinned down at me.

"Why Adrian? You won't get the enjoyment out of it." I heard Dimitri give a little snort of laughter and Adrian looked over to him with a slight glare.

"Rose...just looking you gives me _all_ sorts of enjoyment....any time of the day. It doesn't really matter what you're wearing, after all my memory is _very_ good." I glared at him; I couldn't believe he'd just said that....out loud!

"Come on Christian." I heard Dimitri say in a less than impressed voice. Adrian got a quick stomp to the foot for his trouble and I know it hurt as he limped for ages, but all he could do was laugh. He took an immeasurable amount of pleasure in twisting the knife in whenever Dimitri was around. I could see this was going to be a long day and it hadn't even started yet really. We finally came to the first dress shop and Lissa's eyes lit up lit Christmas lights... No matter how old she got, she was like a kid in a candy shop whenever she went dress shopping.

_Oh my God Rose...get in here! Look at THIS! _I laughed to myself as I made my way in dragging Adrian with me. "If I have to listen to you and your little innuendos all day then you will NOT leave my side all day long... dress shop after dress shop after shoe shop... _Got it!_"

"I'll make you a deal my love; you won't hear one complaint from me all day as long as any dress you try on, you model for me." He said with a grin. I tried to think of what else he had in mind, that seemed a little too easy for my liking.

"Fine." I finally got to Liss and she held up a stunning satin dress she'd found.

"This is so your dress!" I smiled as I looked at it and I could just imagine how I'd look in it.

"You're a nut! Kirova would have a heart attack if I wore that."

"Go try it on Rose, you know you want to." She really did know me to the core and that dress just screamed ME!

"Yeah, go try it on Rose." Said Adrian from beside me.

"Keep an eye on this one please Mase." I said as I walked past him. I went into the change room and put on the dress and it really did fit like a glove. Its plunging neckline did amazing things for my chest, the cut out sides gave a little peek of my hard earned abs and the colors were very me... I kept my word and opened the door to model for Adrian. I walked out and the three guy's mouths dropped open. Their eyes all held the same lusty expression, but only one had his eyes locked with mine. **(Photo in profile.) **"Okay guys, you can all close your mouths now." I quickly looked back to Dimitri and saw him talking to Christian. After getting changed back into my normal gear, I went out to find a dress for Lissa. After twenty minutes of oo-ing and ah-ing, I finally found it. **(Photo in profile) **The multi colored, beaded, backless dress looked divine on her and Christian looked like he was about to crash tackle her into the change rooms, much to her delight. She paid for the dresses, as normal, and then it was off to find shoes. My favourite pastime... _shoes... glorious shoes!_ After nearly an hour we finally had shoes in hand and we were making our way to the food.

"A productive couple of hours I see Guardian Hathaway." Said Alberta with a smirk.

"On a scale of 1 to 10... what's the damage?" Eddie asked Mason.

"What do you think Eddie my man? This is Rose we're talking about remember, of course it's an eleven!" They both start laughing and Alberta tries to have a peek in the bags in my hand.

"Heart attack material hey?" she asks me.

"Not really, it could have been worse. You should have seen the dress Adrian wanted me to get." She laughed and shook her head.

"What makes you think I didn't buy it for you anyway my love?" He said behind me, I turned around with my mouth open to see if he was for real and as usual, I could tell nothing by his face. "Come with me my dear, I need sustenance."

"What on earth are you going to eat here Adrian?" I said looking at all of the fried food outlets.

"You my love." He said with a wink. He got a swift hit across the head by Lissa for that comment, much to everyone's amusement.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Adrian." She said.

"Just tell me what you want and I'll go get it, you're staying here with the group, and that's not a request either." I said to him, he told me what he wanted and I went over to get it, my pizza _and_ the box of delicious looking donuts from Donut King that I'd seen on the way in.

"I can't wait to see you in that dress again Roza." I smiled as I heard him say my name like that. I could feel that he was only an inch away from me and as much as I wanted him to be closer, we couldn't risk being seen. I moved to the side a bit so that we weren't so close.

"So who are you going to the dance with? I know of at least one girl who would love you to ask her." I said.

"There's only one girl that I want to ask, but I already know that she'll say no, so I guess I'll just go by myself, or spend the night in my room." Both ideas sounded good to me, although I would never let him know that. "What do you think she'd say if I asked her?" I looked up at him and wanted to say 'yes just ask me' but I couldn't.

"I have no idea. But you should ask someone, it would be a shame to have to go by yourself." He narrowed his eyes at me and was about to say something else when Mason came up to us.

"Hey gorgeous, what ya getting?" he said putting his arm around me. I noticed Dimitri stiffen beside me and so did Mason. He looked at Dimitri and then at me then he looked back to Dimitri again. "You need to learn to relax man, life's too short. So Rosie, you never said what you were getting." _Shit...he knows._ I could tell by the way he was looking between Dimitri and I that he could see that something was going on between us; I just didn't know if he'd figured out just how much. After lunch we continued walking around the mall, going from shop to shop, Cassie and Mia followed Dimitri around like a bad smell and I saw the looks that Hope was sending him also. Liss bought a few more dresses and tops, she even made _me_ buy some more and yes, I had to model them for Adrian too. I did manage to find some awesome work out shorts and bra top sets, so I got them as well.

"You get on well with Belikov." Said Mason as we stood on lookout.

"Yeah, I do. He's a fast learner and he'll make an excellent guardian." At first he didn't say anything, he just smirked at me.

"How far has it gone?" _SHIT!_

"How far has what gone?" I asked trying to act all ignorant... He tilted his head to one side and raised his eyebrows... _Huh!_ At least I'm not the only one who can't lift just one.... I took a deep breath knowing that I wouldn't be able to deny it to him for much longer.

"Be careful... You know I love you and I don't want to see you lose everything you've worked so hard for." I knew he only said this out of love, and it wasn't him that got me angry...it was the truth in his words... our society wouldn't tolerate our relationship.... He could see me getting angry and tried to calm me down. "Rose, I'm not saying...."

"I know Mase." I said cutting him off. I looked up at him and finally put into words the feelings that I'd pushed down for weeks now. "It's just not fair, we're expected to live our whole lives, risking everything for them, in return for nothing. Our reward is loneliness. Don't get me wrong, I love Liss and I _would_ die to protect her, but sometimes.....sometimes I think of the next 30 or 40 years of my life, if I'm lucky to survive that long, and all I see is loneliness. Everyone around me will be sharing their lives with someone that they love, having kids and what not....and I'll be old and alone. And if I'm lucky enough to get _too_ old to guard Liss anymore, what then? Do I just hang around as part of the furniture, having no real purpose? Or do I go out in a blaze glory?" He had a slight grimace as he continued to stare into my eyes, knowing what I said was true. He reached to my face and kissed my forehead.

"I know." He said simply. I knew then that he'd thought of the very same thing. In that instance, I realised that I had a certain kinship to cattle... we were all beasts of burden. I also felt the wave of sadness flow through the bond...she'd heard my conversation with Mason.

"Shit." I whispered through clenched teeth.

"What?" Mason asked.

"Liss." He nodded in understanding. I looked around to see her standing at the doorway of the store she'd just been in. _You heard? _She nodded and walked up to me and Mason.

"None of you deserve that life. I can't believe that after all this time I've never seen it from your prospective. You deserve to have a life outside this..." she said motioning around us. "Take what is in front of you Rose, take it in both hands and _don't_ let it go." I felt my eyes water up at her words and the feelings I got from her through the bond, she was vehement in her desire to see me happy. Dimitri, Christian and Grayson walked out from a music store next to us and I could tell they were aware that something had happened between the three of us. In Dimitri's eyes I could almost hear the silent question that they asked... '_Are you alright?' _I nodded quickly to him and let Liss take me by the arm to the next shop. Makeup was next on the agenda, something that I was in desperate need of actually.

I'd made up my mine the day before that I was going to enjoy what was between Dimitri and me, and then with everything that had just happened between Liss, Mason and myself, it just strengthened my resolve. When the opportunity arose, I walked up behind Dimitri... "Yes." I whispered to him and then walked away before he could respond; after all, he'd know what that meant. By the time everyone had finished and we'd got back into the cars, it was just on dark... _Damn. _I didn't like it when this happened, and then the drive back to the Academy was 'buzzing'... not only with Lissa's pleasure and excitement in everything that she'd bought, but that tight rubber band between me and Dimitri was back, I was sure that everyone in the car could hear my heart beating madly and as I looked out of the window I daydreamed of what my life would be like if I could make this work...

I was jolted out of my daydream as our car swerved and came to a screeching halt. At first I didn't know what was happening and then I looked out of the windscreen of our car... I saw the other car in front of us flip onto its side and smash into the trees on the side of the road. I couldn't work out what had happened at first but then the nausea hit.

"STRIGOI!" I yelled...


	19. Chapter 18

**Okay... Well I didn't realise I'd taken so long before putting this up, so sorry about that.  
Hopefully you will all enjoy reading this chapter, as much as I did writing it! LOL!**

**Thanks for the reviews guys!  
Sandy**

* * *

**Eighteen**

I leant forward to Mason who was driving again and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Contact the academy." I said to him, Adrian grabbed my wrist...

"Hope...." He whispered to me, I could see the worry for his sister who was in the first car so I tried to alleviate his concern.

"I'll get to her." I turned to Liss and Christian who were in the back seat again... "_Stay_ here and don't move." I then looked to Dimitri.... we were going to need him to fight. "Come with me." I reached into the pocket on the back of the driver's seat and pulled out two stakes and gave one to him. I then looked at Cassie "Guard them..." I said as I handed her the other stake... I opened the door and got out, Dimitri close behind me and then shut the door behind him. We took off towards the other car and took a quick look around and saw that there were seven strigoi. I saw one smash the windscreen and try to pull Alberta out, but Stan made short work of him. As we ran I shouted instructions to Dimitri. "Get up onto the car, try to get them out. If Eddie is okay, get him and Grayson to go back to our car so Mason can come and fight. Don't hesitate." With that we were set upon by two strigoi.

We fought for another minute before I was able to get the upper hand and stake the strigoi that was in front of me. Seeing the light go out of his eyes, I pulled the stake from his chest and went to take over from Dimitri. The female that he was fighting saw me coming for her and she glanced between us, she hissed and then took off in the other direction. "Go!" I said to him pointing to the upturned car. I saw him jump up and then I went to help the others. Between Alberta, Stan and myself we were fighting a strigoi each, these were much older and much stronger than the ones Dimitri and I had just come across and the fighting lasted a lot longer... I felt panic and fear surge through the bond... then came her voice.

_Rose... help! _I couldn't take my eyes off the strigoi in front of me but I was aware that Mason was fighting the female that had run off from us before. "Dimitri... go....to Lissa." I said between grunts. I didn't know if he'd heard me at first but I had to concentrate on what I was doing, otherwise I wouldn't be any use to anyone... The large male in front of me was once obviously a Dhampir, he was huge and his fighting skills were amazing, I would have loved to have known him before... He came at me like lightning, his speed was unbelievable. His fist landed heavily on my cheek and I winced as I realised that it was probably fractured. That really only succeeded in one thing; pissing me off! I hated getting hurt, that meant that Liss would want to heal me and then I had to deal with the darkness that came with the spirit she used. I came at him with a roundhouse kick which found its mark in the centre of his chest. He stumbled only very slightly, not nearly as much as I would have liked, so I continued with my barrage. My stake slicing across his chest had him let out a terrible high pitch scream and in his distraction, I dropped down and kicked out into his knees and heard them both snap. This was met with yet another screech in pain as he fell to the ground but it didn't stop him for long, I could see him push the pain aside and then using just his arms, he continued trying to fight. So I leapt up from the crouching position I was in and flipped up and over his body, landing behind him and driving my stake deep into his back before he could turn around. He fell to his left and rolled onto his back as a tear fell from his eye. I'd seen this before...not every time, but enough to know that some part of their former selves found their final deaths a relief...

I looked to find Alberta and Stan had also killed the ones they were fighting although I could see Alberta had been hurt. "Alberta, sit down." I said but just then her knees buckled and Stan caught her before she fell.

I quickly looked up to our car and saw Mason on the ground and Dimitri fighting the strigoi, just then Christian jumped from the car and yelled something to Dimitri. Two things happened in quick succession; Dimitri ducked down and spun to his right just as a ball of fire flew past his back and lit the female strigoi up, he continued spinning on the ball of his foot and then without stopping he brought his stake up and pierced her heart. His speed and accuracy were amazing, and I knew from experience that that sort of precision was only gained with practice, they'd done this manoeuvre before.

"Shit..." Stan said grabbing my attention, "Did you see that?"

"Yeah, I did. That was pretty..."

"Amazing..." he finished. "Although he might get into trouble for using his magic like that."

"Well then," I said turning to look at him, "Don't tell." He took a deep breath and pursed his lips as he seemed to think about what I'd just said and then nodded.

"Check the Moroi." He said as he turned his attention back to Alberta. I nodded and quickly walked through the now broken windscreen of their car and saw that Hope was unconscious and Mia and Trudy were sitting up where they were, holding their injuries.

"Are you both alright?" I asked them.

"Yeah." Trudy said. "My head hurts, but other than that, I'm good."

"I think I might have broken my arm." Mia said. Moroi didn't normally handle pain that well, so I doubted that it was broken. I crouched down to Hope and felt for the pulse in her neck. It was strong so that was a good sign. We needed to get these guys to the other car so that if we were attacked again, we could get them away in the one working car we had left. I turned around so that I could see Stan.

"Stan, help me get them to the other car." He nodded and lifted Alberta up to her feet. I left the car and took hold of Albert as he went in and picked Hope up in his arms, we then walked behind Mia and Trudy to the safety of the other car. By this time Mason was up and I could see that Lissa was healing his head; I could also feel that wonderful tingle come to me through the bond when she healed him.

"Are you alright?" Lissa asked me as we all got closer.

"Yeah I'm fine, help these guys into the car and can you help Alberta and Hope please?" She nodded and then squinted as she saw my cheek.

_Let me heal you first please, it won't take long. _I nearly said no, but now that my adrenaline was waning, the pain was starting to become a distraction, one I couldn't afford right now.

_Fine, but don't use too much alright?_

_It's fine Rose, I've told you before that this hardly takes any spirit at all now... _As much as I didn't like getting hurt, or having to take the darkness from Liss after she used too much spirit, I must say that I really loved the feelings that came with her healing. The joy and happiness that passed through the bond was amazing. Once she was done, she bent down to where I'd put Alberta and started to heal her. Mia and Trudy got into the SUV and I looked to the back of the car where Christian now sat and gave him a look that told him that we would be speaking about what he'd just done before too long. I turned to Mason and gave him a quick once over, I knew that he had been healed but it was something that was automatic.

"Mase, did you get hold of the Academy?"

"Yeah, they should almost be here, we were only ten minutes from home when they attacked."

"Where's Eddie?" I asked. Mason motioned over to the other side of the van and I could see him just standing there through the glass. I didn't need to go ask him what was wrong; I knew that he'd be beating himself up for being hurt to the point where he couldn't help in the fight. I would talk to him later once he'd had time with his thoughts. The guardians and novices then circled around the car that held the Moroi and kept vigil until the backup from the academy arrived, which was less than five minutes. Once they got here, the tension we all felt finally abated somewhat and we all climbed into the new cars. Lissa had healed Alberta, Mason, Eddie and myself and I could feel that she was weakened by it. Everyone was quiet as we sped along the road, we'd come close to being killed today, that sort of thing makes you appreciate what's in front of you, or beside you as the case may be. I was in the back of one of the SUV's with Dimitri and when I looked at him, he seemed to be a million miles away as he stared out the window. I scooted over to sit beside him and put my hand on his that was on the seat.

"Are you alright?" I whispered only loud enough for him to hear. He turned to me and I could see so many emotions in his eyes. "You know you can talk to me, any time you want. You just call out and I'll be there." He squeezed my hand and bent down to whisper in my ear but before he could say anything else, the car suddenly turned into the gates of the Academy.

"All the novices need to go back to their rooms when we get back." Alberta said after turning on the earpieces. "There'll be a debriefing after we speak to Headmistress Kirova so I'll let the dorm guards know when we need you. Car two and three, please relay this message. Rose, can I talk to you before you leave please?" I nodded to her as the car pulled into the car park. I got out and walked over to Alberta but anything was said, she called out to Dimitri to wait before going to his room and then she pulled me away so that we could speak more privately. "Rose, that was his first kill, I've got a feeling he might want to talk to someone and I've seen how close you two have become, I thought he might talk to you. I think he needs that right now. I'll wait for you to call me before getting him in for the debriefing, just let me know when you think he's ready." I nodded. "I think you'll have more privacy in your room." _Oh God...my room..._ memories of my 'dream' had never left me. I really can't say how many times I'd thought about that dream since I'd had it and having him in my room, _really_ in my room...well, that could be dangerous.

"Certainly." I said. She turned around and walked back towards her office. I looked over my shoulder and saw that he was still standing where I'd left him beside the car watching me. I took a deep breath and walked over to him. "Follow me." I said to him them I turned around and walked towards the guardian building. I got to the door and opened it and waited for him to go through, the guard at the front desk was Guardian Blake, Cassandra's uncle. I nodded to him and then walked up the stairs with Dimitri following. As we approached my room my heart sped up and I dug around my pockets for my keys. I unlocked the door and turned on the light. "Have a seat." I said to him. I went to my small kitchenette and turned on the kettle, a nice steamy cup of hot chocolate would go down rather well right now. I grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard and put the two heaped teaspoons of chocolate in each. I was standing there waiting for the kettle to boil when two strong arms wrapped around my shoulders. I turned to face him as saw that he really needed to talk.

"Can I just hold you?" he asked softly. My hands were already on his hips, so I just reached around to his back and tightened my grip on him. I knew this need for comfort, I'd felt the same thing after _I'd_ killed for the first time and the person I went to was Lissa. Even though you knew that you did the right thing for the person that the strigoi once was, it was still a hard thing to come to terms with. I felt him rest his cheek on top of my head and we stayed there like that for a few minutes and then I heard the kettle click off. I pulled away slightly to make the hot chocolate but he wasn't about to let me go just yet. "I was so scared." He said softly.

"Of what?" I asked confused as to what he meant.

"That you'd get hurt. I know I shouldn't have, I couldn't help it. But then I saw fight... You were...amazing. I've seen others fight, I _saw_ the others fight, but you... you're a force to be reckoned with."

"You fought well too you know. The way you handled that female, you did really well. You kept focus and most importantly you didn't hesitate." I looked up at him, unable to look away; he took my face in his hands and slowly bent down to me.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked an inch away from my mouth.

"Yes." I whispered. Then as it had happened before, the instant our lips came together a jolt of....something, went through my body. I felt myself pull in closer to him and the moment he felt me do this, his hands dropped from my face, one going under my arm, the other grabbed my leg. All memory of hot chocolate melted away as my thoughts all focused on him. This kiss...it started of soft and comforting but within seconds it became something more, it became passionate, invigorating... "Dimitri..." I said pulling away. "As much as I... this isn't the time. You need..."

"I _need_ you." He said determined. "I've wanted you for so long; this has _nothing_ to do with what just happened. This has to do with my feelings for you Roza." He took my face into his hands again and stared deeply into my eyes. "I love you." He said barely above a whisper. Time stood still...as my heart doubled in size thumping against its cage. Deep down I knew that my feelings for him were much more than a crush, _much_ more than they should be but as soon as he said those three words; I knew that I returned those same feelings. We hadn't known each other for all that long, but I'd felt the connection to him almost instantly and it was deep.

"I love you too." I breathed. In an instant his lips crushed into mine, the intensity of it took my breath away and I knew that I would no longer stop him. My mouth opened as his tongue pushed against my lips, and I gasped when that same jolt passed through me again as our tongues touched one another. He reached down and pulled me up by my butt and I wrapped one of my legs around his. My skin came alive as his hand come up under my shirt. I broke from the kiss and released my legs from around his waist, he was about to object so I put my finger against his lips. "Shh..." I whispered. I took his hand in mine as I walked backwards towards the bed, my eyes locked with his. I let go of his hand and started to unbutton my shirt as I walked.

"Let me do that." He said just as I felt the bed hit the backs of my legs. He didn't look away from me as he slowly undid each button but once they were dealt with, he glanced down and smiled. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." He kissed me again as his hands slid over my shoulders taking my shirt with them. On their way down, they stopped at my bra clasp and popped it open in one second flat...it made me wonder how many times he'd done it. I reached up and unbuttoned his shirt; I was once again left speechless as my eyes took in his amazing body. I felt his fingers trace down my stomach, stopping at the band of my jeans. I knew in his hesitation that he was asking if he should stop, but when I reached for the button of his jeans and undid it...he smiled again and kissed me as we shed the last of our clothing.

I laid myself down onto the bed and watched him stand there looking at me. He slowly made his way towards me. His right hand touched my left ankle and slowly slid up my leg. "You have amazing legs." He said seductively. His fingers teased along the inside of my thigh, making my skin raise in goosebumps. He continued his teasing up towards my hip and then made its way across my stomach to circle around my navel. My body was extremely turned on right now and I was starting to get a little impatient. "Lay back and enjoy the ride." His fingertip then started to go down and I moaned as I felt them enter my body. His lips kissed the skin on my stomach and then his tongue traced up to each breast. I felt him move away from me and I was about to complain but he silenced my mouth with his. The kiss was deep and hungry; all of the teasing that had gone on between us over the last few months was now being released.

I wanted him so bad right now I thought I was going to burst. Every nerve responded to his touch... "Dimitri... I... I... Oh...." I lost my line of thought as another wave of pleasure started to build within me.

"What would you like me to do Roza?" he whispered as he nibbled at my ear. Instinctively one of my hands went down his body and found what it was after. "Oh....Roza." he whispered. I couldn't wait any longer, so I positioned him so that he knew what I wanted. "Are you sure?" he asked me. As hard as it would be for him to do, I could see that he would stop if I'd changed my mind.

"Yes. I want to be with you, completely." He didn't need to be told twice. I moaned softly as I felt him enter me and then he took total control...of my mouth, my mind...and my body. There was nothing else in this world other than the feel of his body against mine, his lips, his tongue. He moved slowly at first but his pace soon quickened, our need for each other taking over our every thought. He was amazing, so gentle and loving and it wasn't long before I felt myself on the brink of ecstasy so I wrapped my legs around his body so that he could go deeper. I heard ripping....somewhere.... "Oh...my God!" The words tumbled out as I was lost in a fog of pure bliss. I opened my eyes and found myself looking into the smiling, smouldering, deep brown eyes that belonged to the man that now owned my heart. Then he took my mouth with his once more as he found his own release. I'd been with Adrian when we were together and it was great...but this...with Dimitri, well... words can't even begin to describe what had just happened between us.

We laid together for a while, neither wanting to break away from each other as our breaths slowed. I was utterly content just lying against his chest listening to the steady beat of his heart. "That was...indescribable." he whispered as he brought his fingers up into my hair. I lifted my head to look into his eyes and all I saw was the reflection of the love that I felt for him. "I love you Roza, more than you could ever know."

"I love you too Dimitri. I tried to fight it, but I... We need to be careful until you graduate; I'm still your mentor." He nodded and then kissed me so softly my body felt like it was going to melt.

"So... Did I rock your world?" he said with a very pleased grin.

"You most certainly did... more than once."


	20. Chapter 19

**I'm sorry guys! I didn't realise it had been so long since updating! Naughty me... Anyhoo...this is a little bit of a filler,  
before the dance... a little soppy in some parts, a little - naughty in others! ;-)  
Hope you like it!**

**Sandy**

* * *

**Nineteen**

Dimitri's Point Of View.

My whole being was deliriously happy right now. Every fibre of my being was focused on the stunning woman that was before me. I was in awe as I looked at her, as I touched her...

"Dimitri... I... I... Oh...." I smiled as I watched her eyes close and lose herself in the pleasure that I was giving her, I couldn't believe it really, but her...like this...her face became even more beautiful than normal. As I moved my fingers between her legs, I brought my mouth to hers a little harder than I'd intended, but I was slowly losing control.

"What would you like me to do Roza?" I whispered against her ear. I ran my tongue up the edge of it and then took her earlobe in my mouth and gave a little nip. I felt the goosebumps raise on her skin as I did it and then it was her turn to make me shake with desire. I felt her hand go down between our bodies and then she grabbed me. "Oh....Roza." I growled through gritted teeth. Her grip on me was strong but gentle and then she moved me to where she wanted me to be. I thought I was losing control before, but now... I wanted her like I'd never wanted anything in my life before, but I loved her and I wanted to make sure this is what she wanted too...so I had to ask. "Are you sure?" I asked her. A beautiful smile touched her lips as she spoke.

"Yes. I want to be with you, completely." Those words were the only words I had wanted to hear. I pushed myself slowly into her, finally becoming one and we both let out a moan of pleasure. I reached down and cupped her butt with one hand, pulling her closer to myself. With my other hand I took her chin and turned her lips to mine where I took control, she tasted so sweet against my tongue. Our bodies moved together, slowly at first but getting faster and faster, my craving to make her mine ruled my every thought. As I moved within her, my eyes and hands moved over her amazing body, she was perfect. I kissed her wherever my lips could reach... Her breathing became faster, harder and then she wrapped her legs around my waist, thrusting her hips hard against me. I gave her what she wanted; what _I _wanted....

"Oh...my God!" She pushed her head back and her hands gripped the sheets, ripping them as her body shook once more in pleasure. I couldn't take my eyes of her beautiful face, I couldn't believe that I'd found the other half of me, I was now complete, even though I didn't know that I wasn't before. I can't describe how it felt to know that it was me who she wanted; that _I_ could make her feel this way... Then she opened her beautiful eyes in which I could see the love she felt and I could no longer wait, I bent down and kissed her hard, thrusting deep as I lost myself in her. I thought I loved her before...now, I was hers...completely. Afterwards neither one of us moved, we just stayed where we were staring into each other's eyes. I stroked her silken hair, her face, her lips... But I knew that I'd have to move soon, so I made myself fall to one side and as I laid onto my back, she pulled herself up onto my body, laying her head against my chest.

"That was...indescribable." I whispered as I reached up and pushed my fingers into her hair. She lifted her head and looked into my eyes, and what I saw in hers had me talking before I knew what I was going to say. "I love you Roza, more than you could ever know."

"I love you too Dimitri. I tried to fight it, but I... We need to be careful until you graduate; I'm still your mentor." She said to me. I nodded knowing that as much as I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, our relationship would not be accepted by the majority of the society we lived in. But in this moment, I didn't care about anyone else, all I cared about was Roza, I pulled her face down to mine and kissed softly against her slightly swollen lips.

"So... Did I rock your world?" I said smiling as I remembered what she'd said to me earlier.

"You most certainly did... more than once." I planned on rocking her world at every chance I got.

* * *

Rose's Point of View.

I felt more at peace lying on his body than I'd felt in a long time. I hadn't wanted a relationship, I had no yearning to love someone in _that_ way but here I am, in a – relationship, sort of. But when I first felt drawn to Dimitri, I tried to ignore my feelings, tried to pass them off as a stupid crush, but here I was....lying naked on top of the man whom I'd unintentionally fallen in love with. He complemented me in so many ways and my soul was as happy as my body at the moment. We laid together a little longer but we both jumped when there was a light knock at my door. I quickly checked the bond to see if it was Liss, but it wasn't, she was a little busy with Christian, _eww!_ I quickly pushed that image out of my mind as I thought about what to do. I pointed to the bathroom and we both silently ran into it.

"Rose, are you there?" It was Alberta...

"_Shit!_" I mouthed. I thought Dimitri looked slightly amused at my flustered state, but then I realised that he was just smiling at me as he took in my naked body. I playfully hit his arm and put my finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet. "Hang on Alberta; I'm just getting out of the shower. I'll be there in a tic."

I pushed past him and bent down to get a couple of towels out of the cabinet under the basin and I felt him press up behind me and run his hands over my back and then around to my chest. _Oh God...._ I had to get a grip... I stood up and turned to see a very mischievous grin plastered on his face. "_What_? I couldn't help it... you're just too irresistible. You should _not_ be bending over naked in front of me if you don't want me to.....react." He whispered as his eyes scanned me. If only he knew what _his_ naked body was doing to me right at that moment....especially after feeling his lower half against me. I took a calming breath and then again pushed past him and walked out of the bathroom hearing his soft laughter behind me. I leant forward and wrapped one of the towels around my hair and the other around my body. I turned to see a smiling Dimitri leaning against the door frame and then he winked at me as he walked backwards and shut the door.

"Alberta." I said as I opened the door. She nodded in greeting and then looked around me into my room.

"Is Belikov not here anymore?" she asked. Thank God I'd had a few years to practice my guardian mask and keep emotions off my face.

"No, we had a talk and then he left." I hated lying to her, but I didn't think she'd take too kindly to what had just happened between me and Dimitri.

"Can I come in?" she asked me. I nodded and then moved to allow her entrance. "He handled himself really well out there, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did. He'll make an excellent guardian." I said. She eyed the mugs on the kitchen bench and then looked at me confused. "He didn't want any, so I didn't have one either." I said in explanation. Her eyes scanned the room and went to my extremely messy bed and then she looked back at me, taking in my appearance. I tried everything I could not to blush, but I could feel the blood starting to creep up my neck into my cheeks, so I quickly stood up from my little table and went to the mugs... "Would you like one?" I asked with my back to her.

"No thank you. Rose...?" I slipped on my guardian mask and turned to face her.

"Yes?" I asked as innocently as possible. She narrowed her eyes slightly and then shook her head. Then she stood up and pushed her chair back under the table.

"Nothing. You'll need to come down to my office in the morning for a debriefing, so I'll let you get back to....finishing up." _Oh crap! She knew... _I nodded slightly and walked behind her to the door where she turned to face me. "Be careful; make sure this is what you really want, because you know it's going to be hard. But most importantly...make sure he gets back to his own room before morning." As she turned around I saw a smile pull at her mouth and then she walked down the hall without looking back. I closed the door and then let go of the breath that I didn't know I'd been holding. Well, she didn't kill me, so that was a good sign...right.

"Do you think she'll say anything?" Dimitri said from behind me. I hadn't even heard him open the bathroom door. I turned to face him and couldn't help but be a little worried that I'd started something that I shouldn't have.

"No. If she had any intentions of doing that, she would've dragged us both out by the hair to Kirova's office." He walked towards me slowly and reached up to take the towel off my 'unwashed' hair, and then he took my face in his hands.

"I know you're worried, but don't let that come between us. Not now that I've.... I've finally found my other half." I could feel my eyes starting to sting at his words, _his other half..._ "I don't want to lose you Rose, please..." Then he bent forward and kissed me gently. I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. As I did this, the towel around my body came loose and fell to the floor. His hands made their way down my sides and my skin prickled in excitement at his touch. My body yearned for more and so did my mind to some extent, but I had to stop, we had to talk.

"Dimitri." I whispered against his lips. He pulled back and looked into my eyes. "There are a lot of things that we need to talk about, us for one, the attack for another, as much as I'd like to continue this," he grinned as I said that, "we can't right now."

"She said that I had to be back in my room by morning, that's a few hours away yet, we have plenty of time to talk." I gave up resisting when his hand moved up the inside of my thigh and quickly flicked on my 'on' switch; instantly erasing any thoughts of 'talk' I'd had. I couldn't believe how quickly this man had pulled down my walls of self control that had taken me years to build. I turned to putty in his hands; my resolve to stay strong wavered every time I was around him. He'd become like a drug to me, I needed my 'hit' of him any way I could get it, sparring, talking, being in his presence, and now this... this was the best 'hit' I'd ever had and it was one that I knew I'd never willingly give up....

"We have to talk." I said to him afterwards, our faces only an inch or two apart as we layed facing each other.

"I know." He said. "It's not going to be the 'it's not you, it's me' speech is it?"

"No. Not in the way you think." I smiled. "I want this...in more ways than you know, but we need to be careful. If anyone finds out what's happened between us... This won't be accepted." He didn't say anything, he just kept looking in my eyes, but it didn't hide the fact that I could see he was busting to say something. "What? I know you have something say, so say it." He took a deep breath and swallowed.

"There is a part of me that says you're right; we won't be accepted so stop now before we get too deep into this. Then there is another part that says _they come first, _and to just enjoy what we have here while it lasts, knowing there'll come a day where we have say goodbye. But then there's another part of me that wants to say to hell with it all; with _everyone_ who will stand in our way and throw it all in for a life with you. _That_ part...is the strongest part of me now, and I would... for you. But I know you. You can't, so I'm left with one of the other two options and I don't like either of them, so I'm a little ticked off."

I was stunned into silence to say the least. He just said that he'd leave this life...for me... And being truthful, if it weren't for Lissa...I would leave for him too. But how does one chose between the two greatest loves that anyone could have in a lifetime. Lissa was my best friend, my sister, but more than either a friend or sister...we were bonded emotionally and psychically, it was a bond that would be there till the day we died, maybe even after. But Dimitri...he had my heart and soul, my body and my mind. How could I choose one over the other, I couldn't have both without ripping my heart in two, could I? I reached over and put my hand on his cheek.

"Let's go with option two for a while and see what happens. A lot can happen in a few short months. But we need to show a little...self control." After that, we spoke of the attack just outside the academy. It did bother him like I thought it would, like it bothered us all. He knew these were once Moroi or Dhampirs or even humans that we were killing but he also knew that without doing what we do, a lot more people would die.

"It's getting late." He said. I looked behind me to the clock and saw that we'd been talking, really talking for nearly two hours, and if I knew Alberta, she'd be keeping an eye out making sure that Dimitri left my room. We got up and got dressed...well, taking our time getting dressed. Being able to rub my hands all over his body like this was fairly distracting, he took my breath away. I then took him out the back way of my building and we walked back to the Dhampir dorms. "So, I'll see you in a few hours for training?" he said.

"I have to see Alberta first up, so if it's going to clash, I'll get the dorm matron to let you know." He nodded and then looked around to see if we were alone and then bent to lightly kiss me while he still had the chance. "See you soon." He said and I watched him walk off. Just as the door to the Dhampir dorm closed behind him, I got the funny feeling I wasn't alone.

_How long have you been with me? _I asked Lissa. Then I heard what could only be described as a mental laugh...

_Long enough._

_How long Liss?_

_Just a few minutes this time. _

_What do you mean 'this time'?_

_Well, I wanted to talk to you last night after the attack, something happened with me and... _I knew what she was talking about; I could feel exactly what was happening with her and... But then I was a little busy after that too... _and I wanted to talk to you about it, but when I came to you I was....confronted! _Well, that's one word for it I suppose.

_Yes, I imagine you were. Serves you right for dropping by unannounced. _I did my own mental laugh then. _Seems like we've both found ourselves a little bit of happiness in this crazy world of ours. _There was a bit of a pause before she said anything and I thought she may have gone at first.

_I heard. _She said. I wasn't quite sure what she meant...it could have been a number of things really.

_Hold that thought._.. _I'm just coming back up the stairs; I'll be at your room in about 30 seconds._

_Okay. _Then as I got to the top step I saw her door open and her head pop out and smile at me. She gave me a quick kiss and hug as I came into her room. "So, what did you hear?" I asked her.

"What he said to you..." I was still clueless so she continued. "That he'd leave this life – for you. He really loves you doesn't he." Her face was elated that I'd found someone at last, but I couldn't tell her that I'd do the same for him.

"Yeah, almost as much as..." I stopped myself from saying it, but she picked up on what I was about to say.

"Almost as much as...you love him?" I didn't really want to admit that out loud to anyone just yet, I don't know why. Maybe because it was so new, I wanted it to be – mine just for a little while longer, once it was 'out there' it would be _everyone's_ little secret then. "Well, I think it's great what you two have. Rose, I've been thinking, if this is something that you want..." I opened my mouth to argue but she held her hand up to stop me. "Shush... If this is something that you want, a life with him, then we'll make it work." For the second time in the space of a few short hours, I was stunned into silence.

"What...what do you mean?"

"After our talk a little while back about our societies...expectations where guardians are concerned, I got to thinking."

"And...."

"Well, you're right. It's not fair... you deserve to have everything that your heart desires, whether it is a fulfilling job, love, children or just to be left the hell alone. No matter what you want, it should be your decision and your right to have it. If you want a life with him, then you should have it. You've followed me nearly my whole life, you take the darkness of spirit – which I know is hard on you, and you'll do this for the rest of your life. If you want this, then I'll follow you." I was truly speechless... I didn't know what to say, even my thoughts weren't working, I just stared into her eyes.


	21. Chapter 20

**Okay... Well I finally finished the next chapter... I've been so busy with work, children, horses and skating,  
but I've finally got it done... Hopefully I haven't missed any spelling errors... I'm as tired as anything...atm.  
Anyhoo... enough of my babble...**

**Enjoy!**

**Twenty**

The next morning I got up and went to Alberta's office... this should be interesting. I knocked on the door and waited, hoping that she wasn't in there and I could feign ignorance all day and avoid what was coming. "Come in." She called from the other side of the door. My stomach flipped at her voice, my skin felt clammy... even Strigoi didn't do this to me. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Alberta was going through some papers but quickly looked up under her brow to see who I was. She stopped what she was doing and tried to hide a smile.

"Good morning Rose. Have a seat." She pointed to the one opposite her.

"Morning Alberta." She finished writing whatever she was doing when I came in and then put the paperwork to the side. She took a deep breath and just looked at me without saying anything. If she didn't say something soon I was going to have a stroke...my blood pressure was so high I could hear the whooshing of it in my ears.

"So I gather this is something that you have both thought about?" I wasn't about to act like I didn't know what she meant, I wasn't ashamed of what I felt for Dimitri.

"Yes."

"I'm not going to say that you shouldn't have feelings for him, the heart wants what the heart wants. I just know what you're going to go through, our lives are not our own...as much as we'd like them to be, our society....isn't that forgiving. Are you both ready for that? And if so, graduation is only just over two months away, what then?" I looked down and swallowed.

"I know what you're saying; I never thought in a million years that I would _ever_ have this in my life. Lissa and I have been joined by hip since we were like four years old and then after the accident....well, we'll always be joined, so this is something that was completely not on my radar... But I..." I looked up into her eyes and felt like I needed to get through to her exactly what I felt. "I love him. I tried not to, I pushed him away, I ignored what I felt, but when he's near me, it's like...."

"Like you're complete." I looked at her in shock. "I've been there Rose, I know that sort of love." I was confused...if she knew what I was talking about, why was she here? I wanted to ask, but I also didn't want to pry. "He was killed. Only he was Moroi and I was his guardian. We'd been together for five years and I was pregnant, I wasn't with him when he died, he was away on business and because of my condition he had two other guardians. When I lost him....I lost our child too." I don't know how I stopped the tears from falling, but now I could see why she could be so unemotional, after losing the two people she loved the most....nothing could hurt more than that. "Anyway, enough of that. Does the princess know?"

"Yes. She knew my feeling for him before I did." She laughed at that.

"Well if she has no problem with it, then no-one can say anything after he graduates. But, if it gets out beforehand, then there will be an issue for _you_ here. I personally don't see a problem, you're both adults...practically the same age, but technically you're a teacher, he's a student..." I nodded in understanding. "Did you talk to him about the attack?"

"Yeah, a lot actually. He has a strong belief in what he's doing. He knows that these were once Moroi, Dhampirs...Humans, and as much as he doesn't like having to kill, he knows that they died a long time ago; the things he's actually killing now aren't actually them and by doing what he's doing, he's freeing their souls and saving the people they would otherwise be killing. He takes this more seriously than some Guardian's twice his age. He has such a strong and solid belief in being a guardian."

"I can't believe the difference in him since you brought him back. I've spoken personally to his teachers at his former school, and they paint a very different picture of Dimitri Belikov. They've told me how many fights he used to get into, the trouble he'd cause....and they said that he was angry all of the time; he'd blame everyone else for things that didn't go right in his life. In fact, there were some that were glad to see the back end of both him _and_ Ozera when they left. I noticed a difference in Belikov almost instantly after he arrived, but Ozera is only just calming down." I couldn't help but snicker at that... and of course she picked up on it. "What? What do you know about Ozera?"

"Well, he's sort of smitten with Lissa at the moment."

"Oh really? Huh, didn't see that one coming... Do you think it's something serious?"

"Well if these feelings that I'm getting from _her_ are anything to go by, then yeah...it's pretty serious." Alberta just smiled and shook her head.

"Well it's about time she opened her heart to someone, it's been too long."

"Yes, it has."

"Well, I have to get going, but I thought I'd let you know that steps have been taken to place wards along the road coming here from the main highway, so we should avoid another incident like yesterday. And on another subject...tonight's the dance and I'm dying to see that dress you bought; should turn a few heads I would imagine..."

"You know me..."

"Yes, very well actually... It's time for your training with Belikov, so I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks Alberta."

"You're very welcome Rose. Be careful." I nodded and then went to the gym to wait for Dimitri. He wasn't due to be here for another half hour but that would give me time to set up, I had plans on using the structure that I'd built last week only this time I was going to be throwing things at him while he climbed. I walked into the gym and looked to the left at the structure and planned what I was going to do but when I turned around I was surprised to see I wasn't alone.

"Hello Christian. What are you doing here at this time of morning?" He'd been sitting at my desk on the other side of the gym, but as I spoke he got up and started walking towards me with a smile.

"Good morning Guardian Hathaway. I'm here to give you this." I looked down at the piece of paper in his hand and I suddenly felt like a schoolgirl getting a break up letter from her boyfriend's best friend. What if he'd thought about things and didn't want to continue to see me...now that he'd had me? I took the note not really wanting to read it in front of him but by the look on his face, he wasn't going anywhere so I opened the note and my forehead creased in confusion.

"What's this mean?" I asked him.

"It means exactly what it says. I told you that Dimitri wasn't the _only_ one who can fight Guardian Hathaway." I looked back down to the note and re-read it again. I couldn't believe that Kirova actually okayed this.

"Why Christian?"

"You know that over the last couple of years, Strigoi have been banding together and attacking more regularly. Even being out on our own we were still aware of this fact." That surprised me actually... They would have had to have been in contact with either Moroi or Guardians to know this. He must have known what I was thinking. "My aunt told me."

"Who's your aunt?"

"Tasha Ozera, she's only a year older than me, people think we're more brother and sister because we look so much alike. After my parents murder, she was taken in by the queen. She too is 'quite the accomplished fighter'." He said bringing my own words back to me. Liss and I had been to see the queen a few times over the last couple of years and thinking about it now, I had often wondered who the girl with the queen was. I remember thinking she was stunningly beautiful with her black hair and ice blue eyes. "The queen highly regards Tasha's opinions and over the last few years with all the attacks...the queen is listening to Tasha's views on Moroi fighting."

Ah...So, it was all starting to make sense now. This is why Kirova had that meeting about adding some new defence classes for next term; they were going to be for the Moroi. "So how long have you been training?"

"Since my parents died. Tasha and I only survived because we fought out of instinct. When the strigoi attacked...my parents didn't fight, their guardians were killed...but both Tash and I are fire users and we fought back. We survived... but I vowed that I'll never feel that helpless again." I'd heard about what had happened to his parents, they were attacked and turned against their will, but there were only four strigoi, two of them had fought the family's two guardians while the other two had drained and turned Christian's parents, but Tasha had said that _she'd_ killed the two strigoi that killed the guardians with fire, there had been no mention of Christian helping.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm not going fight you Christian." I said.

"Why? You have permission. I want to keep training. Why won't you fight me?"

"Because you're Moroi, and I _will_ hurt you."

"And strigoi won't?" Well he had me there. I was tossing up what to do and he saw my indecision... "If you won't willingly, I'll just make you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He lifted a hand and a small flame appeared on his middle finger. I looked at him confused. Then he smiled and put the middle finger with the flame and his thumb together and flicked the flame at my arm. "OW!" I yelled at him. "What the hell?"

"Fight me!" He said lowering himself into an attack position.

"No Christian." I said determined. He sighed in frustration and lifted his hand again and flicked another flame at me.

"Piss off you little _shit_! Don't you _dare_ flick another one or..."

"Or what? You'll hit me? I dare ya..." I was using every ounce of self control not to go rip off his head at the moment... I couldn't believe what he was doing... I went to turn around and walk away from him when I felt little stings all over my arms and legs. I turned around and he was standing there with all eight fingers alight. "I can flick these in really fast succession... Just ask Dimitri. Are you pissed enough yet?"

"I'm getting there." I growled between my teeth... I took a deep breath and turned away again, but I knew he wasn't going to stop...and he didn't disappoint. With the stings of more flames being flung at me, I spun and flew at him before he even knew what had hit him. I had only been less than six feet away from him when he kept burning me so it didn't take me long to pounce on him. I used the heel of my palm to his shoulder, knocking him off balance and then dropped to the floor spinning my legs out and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He landed with a thud on the mats, knocking the wind out of his lungs. I stood up and looked down at him. "And I'm not even as fast as strigoi."

"I know..." he said looking up at me. "That's why I want you to teach me to fight. Using my element tires me too quickly, I need to be able to fight physically and only use fire when absolutely necessary. I've watched Dimitri train in those group classes, and his abilities are _far_ more advanced since you've been training him." He stood up and made me look up at him. He wasn't as tall as Dimitri, but not far off. I looked at the clock on the far wall and saw that Dimitri would be here in about ten minutes and then I thought of a plan.

"Okay, Dimitri will be here soon for training, I'll go check with Kirova to make sure you didn't fake this note and if it's true then all three of us will train. Although you may not like my training methods." He nodded and went to wait outside the gym doors. I pulled out my phone and dialled Kirova's number.

"Kirova." She said simply.

"Headmistress...Rose here. Did you give me permission for me to train Christian Ozera?"

"Yes I did. I got a phone call from the queen herself. Apparently she wants to see if he can do it, and I couldn't think of anyone better than you to push him to his limits." A snort of laughter came out before I realised.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure before I hit him." I heard a slight giggle on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, you have a 'get out of jail' card Rose; just don't do too much damage alright."

"I'll try not to. Bye,"

"Bye Rose." Then the line went dead... Okay.... this should be fun. Now I had to go outside to where Dimitri would be waiting for me... As I got to the door I could hear Christian and Dimitri laughing....

"I can't believe you really want to do this man..." said Dimitri.

"You know I can fight."

"Yeah, to a point. The stuff we used to do is nothing compared to what she's going to do to you." He said laughing. He knew me so well... "Christian, she's the real deal. She's tough, and she hurts. Being hit by her is like being hit by a Mac Truck! Are you sure this is what you want?" There was a moment's pause before Christian spoke again.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I _have_ to Dimitri... I need to know how to protect myself and...."

"And...?"

"I really like Lissa, Dimitri. I know we haven't been a 'couple' very long, but... she's....amazing." I smiled listening to him talk about Liss like this. I knew how _she_ felt about him, but knowing those feelings were returned made me happy for her. I took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. Even knowing he was here beforehand didn't change my reaction to him. My breath caught and I started to feel my face warming... as my mind and body remembered last night. Maybe Christian wouldn't notice....

"Hi Dimitri." I said as detached as I could...

"Rose." He nodded back, his face showed nothing, but his eyes said everything. I looked between Christian and Dimitri and made up my mind.

"Alright, I'll train you, but if you want to do this, know that I won't take it easy with you. I expect you to work just as hard as Dimitri." He nodded and I couldn't help the grin that pulled at my mouth. "Okay... Dimitri, show him how to warm up and then do your laps." I looked back to Christian then. "Dimitri does fifteen laps in ten minutes; see how many you can do." I looked back over to Dimitri and smiled before turning my back and going over to the desk. I pulled out my IPod and sat down to listen to my music for the next fifteen minutes.

A few minutes later I yawned slightly as I sat with my eyes closed, but I smiled as I smelt Dimitri's aftershave waft around me. I opened my eyes to see that he had his hands rested on the desk and his face was only a foot away from mine. "If you're tired then you should make sure you go to bed earlier Guardian Hathaway?" he said smiling. I quickly glanced around him to see Christian walking out the doors for the track.

"Hmm, good advice. I may have to remember that." I said with my guardian mask on. He didn't really know how to take what I had just said; I could see the confusion in his eyes. "You have seven minutes left. I'd start running if I was you or else the Moroi is going to beat you." He eyed me cautiously and then took off out the door. I felt mean being so short with him, but this was training... I may have relented about my feelings for him, but that only made me more determined to teach him how to survive. I'd watched them run for a bit and I was actually surprised by how well Christian ran, if this was him untrained then he could end up really good. I stood in the middle of the gym waiting for them to return and when the both came in through the doors they were laughing.

"Only just, Russian!"

"Well how about we start at the same time next time hey... then see how you go Prickles." I couldn't help but laugh at the nickname; I'll have to ask about that later. I raised my eyebrows but they thought I was enquiring about whatever they were laughing about. "He did eleven laps, I did fourteen." Dimitri said.

"Oh really? You may have to make that up later." The instant it was out of my mouth I wanted to stuff it back in, and yes...I blushed again. I turned and walked away making out that I was thinking about what we were going to do. I was facing the structure from the other day and thought of something that I could make Christian do on that, but for now I wanted to see if his ability was as good as his mouth. "Alright then..." I said with my back to them. "I want to see what you can do, not with magic...just you." I turned to face them once the flushed feeling left me. "Have a seat Dimitri." He smiled and sat against the wall to watch.

Christian lowered into an attack stance as did I and I waited for him to make the first move. I would be on the defensive for now..._then_ I would attack. He jumped and came at me with speed that I wasn't really expecting from him, though not fast enough. I ducked away to the left and elbowed him in the back as he went past me. He cringed a little and then came back for more. It was only a few minutes later that I realised that there were more than just the three of us in the room now and he really was doing remarkably well. But now he needed to learn something from me... When he came at me again, I dropped my shoulder and rammed it into his stomach, as I did this I put my hands to the ground, lifted my legs up and clasped my ankles around his neck. I pulled him backwards with the momentum and just as he landed I let go and sprung up on my feet and then onto his chest in one swift move.

"You have to learn to use _all_ of your body, otherwise you _will_ get killed." I got off him and stood up and looked into all the stunned faces of my friends. "What?" I asked them as I offered Christian my hand to get up.

"What are you doing?" Mason asked horrified. I turned to Christian and winked at him and then back to my friends.

"Beating up a Moroi, what's it look like?" By the looks on their faces, that wasn't the answer they were expecting... but it was hilarious. Dimitri, Christian and I all burst out laughing at their expressions... "You fight really well Christian..." I said after I stopped laughing. "but _I'll_ make you lethal." And he grinned from ear to ear.


	22. Chapter 21

**Alright, well here's the next chapter. I just thought I'd ask you all if there is anything  
that you'd like to see happen in this story? Because it's fairly different to the book, it gives me a little  
leeway with where to go, so would you guys like things to mirror what happened in the book  
or should the story go in a totally different direction? Let me know what you think.**

**I hope you enjoy. And thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews.**

* * *

**Twenty One**

Dimitri's Point of View.

I was only a few feet from the gym doors and I could hardly wait to see Roza, I wanted to take her in my arms and never let her go. I swung the door open expecting to see her but was taken back when the only person here was Christian.

"What on earth are you doing here? Especially at this time of the morning."

"Good morning to you too Dimitri." I smiled and shook my head at him.

"Sorry. Good morning Prickles, now why are you here?" That earned me a glare but he knew I only meant it in jest.

"I have my reasons." Oh no..._that_ won't do.

"And what would they be? You _know_ I won't give up until you tell me, so just spit it out and then we can get on with things." He glared at me tossing up if he was going to let me in on it or not.

"Well, if you _must_ know, Rose is going to train me." My brow knotted together as I ran that sentence back through my mind... _'Rose...train...me'.... _I don't think so! But the look on his face looked...serious. But all I could do was laugh... "Laugh all you want Belikov, but she will...you'll see."

"In what universe, not this one that's for sure. Because in this one...she's lethal and _WILL KILL YOU_!" I said the last part as dramatic as I could because it was just _that _funny! I continued to laugh and it wasn't long before he was laughing with me... "I can't believe you really want to do this man..." I said.

"You know I can fight."

"Yeah, to a point. The stuff we used to do is nothing compared to what she's going to do to you." I couldn't help but laugh as the mental pictures flew through my head...along with Christian...flying into walls! "Christian, she's the real deal. She's tough, and she hurts. Being hit by her is like being hit by a Mac Truck! Are you sure this is what you want?" He just looked at me and I was really hoping that I'd got through to him and he'd change his mind, but I knew Christian very well, once he had his mind set on something, there was no changing it.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I _have_ to Dimitri... I need to know how to protect myself and...." He stopped himself from saying anything more but he looked down with an almost sheepish look to his face.

"And...?" I pushed.

"I really like Lissa, Dimitri. I know we haven't been a 'couple' very long, but... she's....amazing." I smiled as I saw his face. He'd been with a few girls while we'd been away, human, dhampir and even a couple of Moroi, but his face never lit up like that when he spoke about them. I liked the princess, she was a calming force in his life, he didn't seem so angry since he'd known her. Maybe it was the fact that she knew what it was like to lose both parents, to be alone. I was going to say more but the door leading into the office part of the building opened and my attention was otherwise distracted by the stunning woman walking towards me. I smiled briefly as I remembered last night, the feel of her body beneath me, the taste of her mouth against mine, her scent clouding my senses. It took all of my self control to stand where I was and not grab her in my arms. Especially when I saw her cheeks blush.

"Hi Dimitri." She said. I could tell she tried not to show too much emotion but her eyes said everything.

"Rose." I said with a nod. I could feel my breathing start to increase as she looked between me and Christian, then I saw her eyes change. I'd seen that look before; she'd made a decision about something. I was amazed at her next statement though...

"Alright I'll train you, but if you want to do this, know that I won't take it easy with you. I expect you to work just as hard as Dimitri." I looked at Christian as he nodded and I couldn't but smile, especially when I saw Rose's expression. "Okay... Dimitri, show him how to warm up and then do your laps." I nodded and was looking forward to seeing Christian get his butt handed to him, but I also realised that I wasn't going to have any 'alone' time with her either while he was here. "Dimitri does fifteen laps in ten minutes; see how many you can do." Christian's had a determined look as she said that, I knew he'd try his hardest, he was nothing if not stubborn. I had to stifle my laugh as Rose gave me the most wicked grin I've seen on her face. She was going to _punish_ him!!! She turned around and walked over to her desk as I took Christian over to start our warm-ups.

As we finished I looked over to see her sitting down with her IPod in and her eyes closed. "I'll give you a three minute head start Christian, make it count." I said.

"I don't need a head start Dimitri." I gave him an incredulous look and he rolled his eyes at me. "Fine...go plan my torture with Rose." If only he knew... He got up to leave as I walked over to Rose. I put my hands on the desk and leant down so that I was only a foot away from her. I didn't say anything as I knew she knew I was here. It was confirmed as I saw her smile and then her beautiful eyes opened up and looked straight at me.

"If you're tired then you should make sure you go to bed earlier Guardian Hathaway?" I said smiling. She quickly glanced around me and I heard Christian go out the doors.

"Hmm, good advice, I may have to remember that." She said. Her face was unreadable, I didn't know if I'd said something wrong or if she had reconsidered 'us'. No... She wouldn't, not after what she'd said last night. "You have seven minutes left. I'd start running if I was you or else the Moroi is going to beat you." I kept looking at her hoping that she'd at least give me a smile, but she didn't. So I stood up and left.

"So, what diabolical plan has she got worked out for me?" Christian asked me.

"I have no idea." He gave me a 'yeah sure' look but I just shrugged my shoulders. "I don't, she didn't say a word to me. How many laps have you done?"

"Three, onto my fourth." Hmm... Still the fastest Moroi I'd come across...

"See ya." I said and then let my legs stretch out to beat him. I was on my second last lap and as I came around to face the gym I saw Rose looking out the window in the door. I dropped my head to make it look like I was watching the track, but I kept my eyes on her but it wasn't long before she walked back inside.

I finished my ten minutes run and I stood at the finish line waiting for Christian.

"Shit you're fast man. Although I must say that I think you cheat."

"Cheat? How do you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, look at the bloody length of your legs. You have an unfair advantage." I laughed as I pushed him by the shoulder, I made sure that I didn't push too hard, but he still stumbled. Yeah, he was going to do _really _well against Rose.

"My legs may be longer than yours buddy, but I gave you a three minute head start, what else do you want?"

"Longer legs." I couldn't help but laugh; this was the Christian that I _used_ to know. Smiling, happy...optimistic, but that all changed after what happened with his parents.

"Hmm... Well, I still beat you." I said as I pushed the gym doors open.

"Only just, Russian!"

"Well how about we start at the same time next time hey... then see how you go Prickles." He hated my nickname that I used sometimes. It sort of stuck one year after we'd all been on holidays with Christian's parents one summer break and we'd gone camping, yeah camping... Christian and I had been play-fighting and I'd pushed him a little too hard and he ended up butt first into a prickle bush. His mother spent the next hour pulling prickles out of his backside with tweezers. It was actually his father that called him that name first; I just kept the name going... _all_ summer long! He kept flicking little buds of fire at me over and over until I stopped. I heard Rose laughing under her breath, so she must have heard me say it. She raised her eyebrow at me but Christian would set me alight if I told her the truth behind the name. "He did eleven laps, I did fourteen." I told her instead.

"Oh really? You may have to make that up later." I grinned as the words left her mouth and I could see she realised what she'd said too by her deep pink cheeks. She turned around to face the back of the gym to make out that she was thinking, but I knew better. "Alright then..." She said with her back to us. "I want to see what you can do, not with magic...just you." Then she turned to face us with her guardian mask back on. "Have a seat Dimitri." I smiled as I went to sit against the wall to watch the show that was about to begin.

Rose mirrored Christian as he lowered into an attack stance and then waited for him to make the first move. Oh this was going to hurt. I watched as he flew at Rose over and over, and to tell you the truth, it was hard to sit there and watch someone hurt him, even if it _was_ Rose. I had to stop myself from getting up to defend him, after all, he did ask for this. It wasn't long before I heard the door open and in came Lissa, Eddie and Mason. The dhampir's had been laughing as they entered but their laughter died away into shock as they took in what was happening in front of them. Lissa's eyes were popping out of her head and she looked horrified. That's when Rose decided to stop playing and finish Christian's training session. She rammed her shoulder into his stomach, dropped into a handstand and then proceeded to grab his neck with her ankles; she then pulled him to the ground with her feet, then sprang back up and landed on his chest in two seconds flat. She was poetry in motion... I had a _lot_ to learn.

"You have to learn to use _all_ of your body, otherwise you _will_ get killed." She said as she got off him. She turned around to look at her friends and held back a slight smile. "What?" She asked.

"What are you doing?" Mason asked her. His face looked like he'd thought she'd flipped her lid, then she turned around and winked at Christian before looking back to her friends.

"Beating up a Moroi, what's it look like?" Their faces didn't improve, if anything, they got worse. That was it; I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing at the same time as Rose and Christian. "You fight really well Christian...but _I'll_ make you lethal." She said after she stopped laughing, and I knew she meant every word.

* * *

Rose's Point of View.

_Have you lost your mind Rose! _Liss yelled at me.

_No Liss, he asked me to._

_Oh well, that makes it all okay then! You'll get kicked out, I can't believe you'd __do__ this... you could have __killed__ him...and you know how cranky I'd be if you did that! _I couldn't believe how much she was sounding like me these days... her sarcasm was almost faultless... But I couldn't help but laugh, even when Liss was trying to be mad, trying to convey her strongest opposition to something, it just never came out with any...teeth.

_He had a note._ She just glared at me with her mouth open; she apparently didn't have a comeback for that.

"Can you please explain _why _you were beating up a Moroi Rose? Even one as _dumb_ as this one obviously is." asked Mason.

"He wants to learn how to fight. Kirova and the queen want to see if he can do it as well, so I thought...why not. It's probably the only time in my life where I can punch a Moroi and not get jailed. You can't tell me that that doesn't tickle your fancy just a little bit Mase."

I looked back to Dimitri who was still sitting on the ground with a smirk on his face but Christian...he obviously didn't like being called dumb. He lifted his hand and little flames lit the ends of his fingers. I was going to enjoy this... One by one Christian flicked them at Mason. Eddie thought this was quite funny as he jumped out of the firing line laughing...

"Don't...call...me....dumb." growled Christian.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing you....moron?" Mason yelled.

"Mase, I'd shut up while you're ahead if I were you." Calling a fire user 'dumb' and 'moron' really weren't two words that were going to get you on their Christmas card list. I glanced over to Dimitri to see if I should stop it but I was met with eyes that produced heat of a whole different kind. "Christian... stop it." But he didn't... one last warning... "Christian...enough. Stop it, now!" If he was going to learn from me, then he had to do exactly what I said, when I said it. I waited five seconds and he still hadn't stopped so I jumped forward, slamming my body into Christian's back and pinned him to the floor. I leant down and put my mouth to his ear. "When I tell you to stop, I mean it. That was the first and only time you get to ignore me, understand." I could feel the heat emanating from his body and I could see the burning in his eyes. But he breathed in deep and I felt him relax underneath me.

"Yes." He mumbled into the mats. I got off him and when he stood up he looked to Lissa and then went to walk away.

"Take a cold shower Christian and cool off." I said. He didn't say anything as he changed course and went into the bathroom. I don't think he was happy with himself losing control like that in front of her either.

"I'll go see if he's alright." Dimitri said as he got off the floor. After the bathroom door closed behind him, I looked at Mason and shook my head expressing my disapproval.

"What? He _is_ dumb."

"Did you not know he was a fire user? I already told you he wanted to learn how to fight, if you'd bothered to put two and two together, you would have chosen better names to call him. Ones less likely to result in you looking like you've gone ten rounds with a bee and lost." I was replied to with a snort. Liss giggled beside me as we looked at all the little red welts all over his exposed skin.

"Hey dude... you really _do_ look like you fought with a bee..." said Eddie laughing. "Come on Bee Man... I'm starving and you promised me breakfast before we leave."

"You're leaving?" I asked them.

"We'll be back tonight Rose. Our charges have been called to court for the next two weeks and they're letting us have holidays, they're going to use the court guardians while they're there. We'll just get them there safely and then we'll be back." Said Eddie.

"Well, that's good to hear. What will we do for two weeks?"

"I've got an idea Rose." Said Mason cheekily.

"So have I..." I'd know that voice anywhere. I turned to look into the deep green eyes of my favourite Moroi pain in the ass.

"Hello Adrian." I said.

"Hello to you too little Dhampir." Before anyone could say anything else Dimitri came out of the bathroom and I could see by the look in his face that he wanted to talk.

_Liss, can you get these guys out of here for a while? I have to talk to Dimitri._

_Yeah, sure Rose. _I could tell that she wanted to talk too, but at the moment, Dimitri took precedence. "Come on you two, I'm starving and you don't have long before you leave and if you don't want Eddie to gnaw your arm off on the plane Mase, I'd feed him soon if I were you." Mason smiled at her and glanced at Eddie.

"Are you coming Rosie Posie?" I glared at him and stuck my tongue out. I _really _hated that name.

"You're dicing with death there Ashford, you know that don't ya." He laughed and held his hand out to me. "I'll be along soon; I need to talk to Christian first." That was as good an excuse as any, and a plausible one too, he nodded his head and they all walked out, Adrian being dragged by Lissa.

"Have I done something wrong Rose?" Dimitri asked as soon as the door closed. I turned to face him and could see the confusion in his face.

"No, why would you think that?" He looked at me and I could see he wanted to ask something else... "Spit it out then..."

"Do you...regret what happened between us?" I walked up to him and stood a foot away from him.

"No. I told you that I wanted to be with you completely and I meant it. I still do." He obviously liked my answer as I saw the relief in his eyes.

"Then why...?" I knew why he'd asked me, so now I had to explain to him.

"I meant everything Dimitri." I interrupted. "When I said that I loved you, I meant that. I wouldn't have said it otherwise. That alone should tell you how determined I am to ensure that you walk away from _every _strigoi encounter you come up against. That won't happen if I don't train you to the best of my ability, I can't....won't lose you and more importantly I wouldn't survive if something happened to you because I failed in your training." A smile slowly pulled at the corner of his lips and he closed the distance between us. He raised his hand and put it against my cheek.

"So training is...training. I won't let you down." Then he bent down and kissed me. It was soft at first, but as always, things between us built up fast. I leant into him and deepened the kiss and he responded by wrapping me in his arms. We weren't going to go any further, but the heat I was basking in right now was suddenly doused in cold water at the sound of someone clearing their throat. We broke apart and turned to see who had sprung us.

"You sly old dog!" said Christian with a smirk on his face.


	23. Chapter 22

**Hi Everyone, Sorry I'm so late at updating... I've hit a bit of a crossroads as to where I want this to go... (Suggestions???) I have an idea, but I'm just not sure... Anyway, this is a bit of a fluffy fill in chapter, sorry... **

**Anyway, I hope you like it....**

**P.S. I didn't get an alert for this...did everyone else get one???**

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**Twenty Two**

Dimitri's Point of View

_SHIT! _"Christian..."

"So... Rose is the one who's been affecting your brain hey?" _Oh crap... Now what do I say?_

"I've been on your brain have I?" asked Rose. I couldn't believe she was being so calm...

"Christian... You can't say anything."

"It's cool man..." then his eyes widened... "The bathroom? You did that...on purpose?" I had to think what he meant at first.

"NO! No..." I felt Rose stiffen beside me.

"You told him?" she asked quietly. I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or pissed or what...

"He caught me off guard after it happened, he was right behind Lissa when you came out of the gym that day and heard you talking about something that had happened...and you've seen how he becomes like a dog with a bone... He knew something had happened in training and then when I couldn't put two words together, he just..." She nodded and then looked over to Christian.

"It seems we're all in the same situation." Rose said.

"Hmm." Christian said looking between the two of us. Then he narrowed his eyes at me. "You broke your promise."

"What promise?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You told me that you'd tell me if something came of it." I tried to remember when that conversation took place...and then it hit me.

"Oh yeah..." I turned to look at Rose. "That happened right before I spoke to you at the track about Christian wanting to know if Lissa would go to the dance with him, you know...when you said that she might if he grew some balls and asked her." She tried really hard to keep her guardian mask on but it faulted ever so slightly, Christian wouldn't have seen it from where he was standing, but I saw it.

"Oh yeah, I remember that day." Then she turned to Christian with a smile. "Didn't think you had any." I could see by his face he wanted to give one of his snarky remarks, but then I saw a change in his features...

"Don't turn this around to me you two." He said as he walked towards us. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rose said.

"Yeah I do actually, that's why I asked." I could see his anger spiking and I saw Rose bristle slightly beside me so I thought I'd better step in before Christian ended up resembling a pretzel.

"Come on you two... the others are waiting, remember. Christian..." I said raising my eyebrow at him. He looked at me as he heard me use 'that' voice. It was something that I hadn't done since coming back, but while we were gone I'd used it a lot when he was getting out of control. I could feel the heat coming from him as I stood in between him and Rose and I really didn't want to have to kill my best friend... that just would have pissed me off no end! "Lissa is waiting for you at the commons; we'll be right behind you." I gave him a look telling him to take my hint and leave.

"I'll go, for now." He smirked at me with a look that I knew meant that we would be talking more about this later and then he left while shaking his head. I took a deep breath as the doors closed behind him and smiled as I realised we were finally...really alone. I turned around and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

"I wasn't quite finished."

"Neither was I..." she said with a giggle.

* * *

_What happened after we left? _Asked Lissa through the bond. We'd finally finished our little make out session and had just come into the commons for breakfast. Lissa was facing me as I walked in ahead of Dimitri and Christian sat beside her with a smirk on his face. Mason and Eddie were oblivious, of course, although Mase beamed as I walked up and sat down in front of him.

_Christian caught us._.. Her eyes widened and then she looked at Christian beside her. He knew that we could talk to one another and by Lissa's reaction he was now aware that I'd told her. He looked to her and started to giggle.

"Come on Christian, I need to go to the feeders." I went to get up and go with her but she just shook her head at me and pulled Christian along behind her. I smiled at the thought of her giving him one of her lectures... I may have to go listen in. Dimitri had gone to sit with Grayson and the other novices, so it just left me with Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

"I can't believe you agreed to do that Rose." Eddie said. Mason on the other hand just sat there smirking away... He knew it was exactly what I'd do if given the opportunity.

"Why not? I rang Kirova first to make sure he wasn't trying to pull a swift one, and she gave me the green light."

"I didn't know what to do when I walked in." Mason said laughing under his breath. "I didn't know who to attack...him for trying to punch you or you for punching him! That would have to be the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Can I be there for your next training session?"

"I suppose so... You could teach him some of your moves..." He raised an eyebrow at me and tried hard not to laugh out loud.

"You sure Liss could handle that?" That's when I started laughing...

"Mase, I'm telling you now, there is nothing that you could show him that she hasn't already shown him." With that Eddie started choking on the bagel that he'd been eating. He seriously couldn't breathe... Mason and I jumped up and tried to help as best we could by doing the Heimlich Manoeuvre which we'd seen in many movies, but it wasn't doing much good. Just then Alberta appeared... It still caught me off guard how she did that... She pushed us away and started whacking him on the back – really hard! I thought she was going to break his spine... On the third whack, the piece of bagel came up.

"That doesn't work guys." Alberta said to us. "You'd only succeed in doing more damage than the obstruction." With that she walked away and sat with some of the other guardians. Mase and I looked at each other and then to Eddie.

"I'm fine...thanks for asking." He said slightly annoyed.

"Well you are now." I said to him.

"What did you mean by that comment?" Eddie asked me.

"Eddie, I know it's been a while... but are you really that naive?"

"No Rosemarie..." I hated when people called me that, especially in that tone. "I just wouldn't have thought that Liss would do that...here...with a student. That's something more like what you would do." I cringed as I felt my cheeks flush... _Damn! _I really had to work on controlling that.

"Rose?" Mason asked... Of course he'd pick up on it. _Think Rose, think... you're quick wit should come in handy right now..._

"What?" _Oh...that was the worst reply EVER! _"It just made me think of something, that's all..." He narrowed his eyes at me as arms came around my waist. I hadn't been aware of him beforehand which was odd...but I soon smelt the familiar cloves and alcohol aroma of Adrian.

"Hello my love..." he said as he kissed my cheek. Again my cheeks flushed as I imagined Dimitri's lips on me for an instant... I couldn't have planned it better actually, seeing me blush again steered Mason's attention to Adrian... He glanced up at him and then back to me... "Ooo, a red Rose, just for me... You have no idea what it means to me to know that my presence still makes you blush."

"Oh no Adrian...._you_ have no idea how much your presence heats me up..." Sarcasm dripped off each word...

_We're on our way back Rose. I think Christian is liking this little bit of information way too much. I don't know if my threats worked or not though... _I laughed slightly at her tone. Lissa trying to be mean just didn't work. She thought she was pretty badass sometimes but she was just way too nice to pull it off with any real success.

"What are you laughing at?" Adrian asked me.

"Something Liss just said." I said with a smile still on my face. Just then Lissa and the human torch came back but he didn't sit down, he just stood at the end of the table in between me and Liss. I looked into his smiling eyes and imagined what I was going to do to him at our next practice session.

"I'm sitting with the others. I have something that I need to talk to my best friend about. Crafty little bugger he is..." I knew it! He was going to be dropping little innuendos all the time now.

"Why, what's he done?" asked Mason curiously.

"Well, you know the 'mates' rule. The one about no secrets when there's – issues involving the fairer sex. Well, he's been keeping secrets... OW!" he yelled. I looked to Liss as I realised that she'd just kicked him in the leg under the table.

_Thank you Liss. I really didn't feel like killing your boyfriend. _She just started laughing but the look she gave Christian was full of meaning.

"I'll see you later Liss." Christian said with a smirk. As he turned around to go to the other table behind us, he winked at me and laughed under his breath. I quickly slipped into her mind when I saw she was watching him walk away and I saw that Dimitri's eyes were looking directly at me, not Christian, but when he did look up at him I could see his wasn't happy – at all! He shook his head and glared at Christian, he'd obviously heard what he'd said at our table.

"So Rose... Has anyone asked you to be their date for the dance tonight?" Asked Adrian.

"No, I'm a teacher Adrian, I'm not going to be there socialising."

"Excellent, I'll pick you up at... 6:30 then shall I?" Honestly, he only heard what he wanted to hear; either that or he just chose to be this ignorant.

"Has all the alcohol ruined your hearing Adrian? I'll be chaperoning tonight. Plus, I'm a little old for the whole 'dance' thing don't ya think?"

"Rose..." Adrian said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You're anything but old, and plus you know you're dying to dance with me again?" It would be fun dancing with him again. Adrian was an amazing dancer, the rest of the world disappeared when he spun you around the dance floor. I couldn't wait to see Dimitri's reaction when he saw the dress, I looked damn hot in it even if I do say so myself.

Just then Hope walked into the commons with Mia and Trudy and I could by where she was looking, _who_ she was looking at. I saw many things in her eyes as she looked at Dimitri...regret, longing...maybe even a little wishful thinking.

"Rose, how are you today?" she asked me.

"I'm good Hope, how are you?"

"I'm fantastic! I'm really looking forward to tonight though; I've even got the perfect dress."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I've worn it before...and I know that's a bit of a fashion faux pas, but I know that this dress makes me... oh, what were the words??? "Extremely hot and sexy!" So I thought, how could I _not_ wear it again." I smiled and nodded but something told me that I knew who had told her those words about _that _dress. "Are you coming brother?"

"In a minute Hope. Here..." He said as he handed her his keys. "Let yourself in and I'll meet you there soon, I just want to talk to Rose until she has to go." She nodded to everyone at the table in that highly annoying 'Royal Moroi' way and walked out with her followers an inch away from her. I knew it wouldn't take her long....

"Are you two going somewhere?"

"No, Mom and Dad are calling soon, so we have to be there when they ring, that's all." I nodded and turned around just as Lissa stood up.

"Where are you off to Liss?" I asked her.

"Class....." She said with a 'wake up Rose' look on her face... "I looked at the clock on the wall and realised that I was due in the weights room in five minutes.

"Crap!" I jumped up and ran for the door while I could hear the snickering of my friends behind me. "Sorry Mike." I said apologetically as I came inside.

"Well you're not that late Rose." Guardian Foster said grinning. He was a really nice man. He'd come to St Vlad's the year after I graduated; he was nearing the end of his 'fighting' days so he took a teaching position. Seeing him now only cemented my resolve to take what happiness I could with Dimitri. Too many dhampir's either died young or ended up old and alone or in Mike Foster's case, old, alone and teaching snot-nosed kids who thought they were the best thing since sliced bread! The novices had arrived and we'd been doing the class for about fifteen minutes when the doors opened and Alberta walked in with some unfamiliar guardians. I'd been going through the reps with Cassy at the time, so I told her to put the down and then went over to Mike.

"What's going on Mike?"

"Have no idea." He said confused. We were just about to walk over to see what was going on when in walked the bane of my existence... Tatiana Ivashkov. Yup, Queen Bitch herself! Fan-friggin-tastic, this day just keeps getting better and better!


	24. Chapter 23

**Sorry for taking so long to update guys... I wanted to make sure that the ending of Eternity was just right and  
I've also been busy at work... I hope you enjoy this chapter....**

**Sandy**

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**Chapter 23**

Queen Bitch walked in like she owned the place but I was being good and I put on the most convincing smile I could muster. I noticed Alberta walking in behind her and she made her way over to me.

"Alberta." I said in greeting. "What's her Hoity-ness doing here?"

"Rose...if someone hears you, you're going to get into trouble." I shrugged my shoulders but Alberta just smiled and shook her head in exasperation. "She's here for the molnija ceremony." I was about to ask what ceremony she was talking about, but then I realised that we hadn't got the marks from the fight yesterday.

"When is it?" I asked her.

"Lunch time."

"Why would she come all this way just for a molnija ceremony? She hasn't come to the others that we've had."

"Don't know really, although she's brought a young Moroi girl with her too. Is Dimitri here?"

"Yeah." I looked over to my left where I'd seen him last and he and Grayson were standing side by side. Grayson was watching the queen, Dimitri was looking at us.

"You'll let him know?" I nodded. Alberta looked behind her to where the queen was now talking to Mike and some of the novices and then turned back to me. "How are _you_ this morning?" I could tell by her knowing smile what she was asking about.

"I'm just peachy. How are you?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm good, but obviously not as good as you." Then she glanced back to Dimitri. "Or him..." For the third time this morning my cheeks flushed red... "Be careful while she's here, you know she has the nose of a blood hound for scandals."

"Mmm, the face of one too!" With that Alberta snorted out a very loud laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth to ensure no more came out. Her eyes bugged as she looked at me and I had an extremely hard time keeping my composure... I glanced over Alberta's shoulder and sure enough, Queeny was staring at us.

"Something funny Guardian Petrov?" she asked aloud. Alberta's eyes widened and then she took a deep breath before turning around to face the queen and her entourage.

"Guardian Hathaway just said a joke your majesty, sorry for the interruption." The queen's eyebrow shot up as she glanced at me and I knew what was coming, so I quickly searched the memory banks for a joke....

"Oh really? I don't mind a good joke, care to share Guardian Hathaway?" Suddenly the perfect joke popped into my head and I started to giggle....

"Yeah sure." I said. I didn't dare look at Alberta because I didn't think I'd hold it together... "Um... What do you call a dog owned by Dracula?" I waited for a second but no-one was going to say... 'what?' so I continued... "A blood hound." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Alberta's eyes widen again and then she quickly looked down to the ground biting her lip. I could see a slight shudder to her shoulders and I was seriously about to lose it.

"Not very original Guardian Hathaway."

"No your majesty." I said clearing my throat as I tried to swallow my laughter. "If you'll excuse me..." I bowed to her and quickly darted through the door after she nodded to me. Once outside I burst out in laughter and every time I came close to getting myself under control, Alberta's face would pop into my mind and I'd start all over again. I don't know how long I was out there for but Liss must have thought I was up to no good because her voice reverberated in my head.

_What did you just do Rose? I know this feeling and I know you're killing yourself laughing...._

_Alberta and I just shared a joke...with the queen. _I could feel the shock, worry and confusion coming through the bond.

_That doesn't sound good._ _You may 'share' with the queen on occasion, but never in a million years would I ever believe that you shared a joke. What happened Rose?_

_I told you, a joke... I'll even tell you what it was if you don't believe me. _I waited for her to reply but she didn't so I told her the joke. Of course she didn't see the funny side to it but I told her I would tell her all about it later tonight at the dance.

I put my guardian mask back on and walked back into the weights room, I did a pretty good job at keeping the mask in place, but those who knew me well would probably see how much control it took to keep it there. I was only there for a couple of minutes when Queeny Poo left to visit other classes and as Alberta walked behind the group we locked eyes and I started to laugh again. She was seriously going to kill me later...

"It wasn't actually that funny Rose." Mike said as he reached me. That's all it took for me to lose it again... I wiped the tears from my cheeks and looked at all the incredulous faces of the students around me. Apparently seeing a guardian laughing to this extent was something they'd never seen before.

"What are you all staring at? Get back to your weights." They all turned around shaking their heads and glancing back to me like I'd lost the plot. Dimitri on the other hand just stood there smiling at me. I lifted my hand and indicated with my pointer finger that I wanted him to come over to me.

"In a good mood this morning Guardian Hathaway?" The words rolled off his tongue quite seductively I thought, maybe it was just my overactive imagination, but hey, that's what it sounded like to me.

"As a matter of fact, I'm in a very good mood this morning Belikov." I smiled.

"Well that's good to hear. Did you have a good night last night then?" he asked casually. Looking at his smiling lips as he spoke was becoming very distracting and he knew it. I looked away as I tried to calm my thoughts...

"You're to report to the guardian building at 12am for your Molnija ceremony. Make sure you change into some nice clothes and something that doesn't come up over the back of your neck." He nodded and his eyes dropped down as the memory of the fight went through his mind. I knew what he was thinking as every guardian held the same look just before getting their marks but when he looked back at me, his eyes held a different look.

"I don't think I have anything like that, maybe you could come take a look for me." I swallowed as I heard the double meaning of his question and I found my eyes darting around as I became more and more flustered... _Flustered! Rose Hathaway does NOT get flustered. _I took a deep breath and slammed my guardian mask on.

"Just a good t-shirt should be fine. Wear a jacket that you can take off." He noticed the change in me immediately.

"I'm sorry." He said softly so that I was the only one to hear. I nodded and looked back to the rest of the class. "I'll meet you there at twelve."

"Yes." I looked behind him and saw Grayson staring. "Gray needs spotting, you should get back." He nodded to me and then turned away to continue his training. It was then that I realised that rules needed to be in place, otherwise we would both pay dearly for what we were doing. I looked at my watch and realised that we only had just over an hour till we got our marks so I went over to Mike and asked for Dimitri to be let out in half an hour so that he could get ready. Apparently Alberta had already told him that one of the Moroi teachers was coming over to take the class so that he could attend. That was one thing with this particular ceremony, _all_ guardians attended, not just those getting their marks. I stayed for another fifteen minutes and then left to get ready; a nice hot, soaking shower was just what I needed right now.

As I made my way into the foyer of the guardian building I noticed Dimitri standing to the side of the room so I made my way over to him.

"I'm sorry about before." He said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He'd dressed in black dress pants a white t-shirt that I could tell clung to his body and a black jacket and let me tell you, he looked _extremely_ nice!

"We just need to be careful, we can't afford for anyone to become suspicious. There are only a few weeks until you graduate, then we don't have to..." _don't have to what? Sneak around...? _A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and his eyes glistened. Just as he was about to say something I saw him look behind me and his face grew serious. I turned around to see Alberta walking towards us.

"We're going in now." She couldn't help the small smile as she turned back to the rest of the guardians and with a quick glance back to Dimitri, we followed her. Those of us who were to get our marks stood in the centre of the room in front of Guardian Baker and everyone else stood behind us. The queen stood in front of us at a podium.

"Those of you here today are here in recognition of your constant sacrifice to ensure the safety of the Moroi. As your names are called, come forward to receive your marks. Guardian Petrov." Alberta walked forward and sat on the stool; she dropped her head forward and closed her eyes as the needle came to her skin once more, then once her neck was dressed she stood beside Kirova. Next Stan was called up for his two marks and then he took his place beside Alberta. "Guardian Hathaway..." Tatiana said. I walked forward and took my seat on the stool. I looked at Dimitri and saw that he was in deep thought so I dropped my head and waited for the sting of the needle. As soon as it touched my skin the memory of how I got my first two molnija marks flashed through my mind. As novices we were taken on a field test, strigoi weren't meant to be there, but they were. A good friend of mine, Aleece Taylor was killed in the fight, we'd become separated from the others and after she was killed, I just sort of went ballistic. We'd been trained with the stake and luckily I'd had mine on me when the attack happened and I'd fought with everything I'd been taught. I killed the strigoi but had my arm broken in the process. The feeling of my neck being bandaged pulled me out of my memory so I stood up and took my place beside Alberta.

"Novice Dimitri Belikov." The queen said. I saw the faces of the guardians around us all go to their own memories as he walked up to get his mark. Afterwards, the guardians walked up to him, each welcoming him in their own way. Kirova walked up to him last and held out her hand.

"You should be proud of how you conducted yourself Dimitri. You have come a long way in the short time you've been with us." She glanced quickly at me before looking back to Dimitri. "Having Guardian Hathaway mentor you was obviously the right thing to do. The dance is in a few hours, take that time for yourself, your teachers have been told that you won't be in today." He thanked her and then she walked over to the queen.

"Remember, if you need to talk, I'm here." I said to him. He nodded while looking down and then his forehead creased.

"Do you ever regret it?"

"What?"

"Killing them." If only he knew...well maybe he does... "I know what said before and I stick to that, but I can't help think of their families. Did they know what their loved one had become, or are they still sitting at home waiting for them come back?" He took a deep breath and looked pensive.

"Sometimes I feel regret. I remember them all, but mostly, I remember the faces of those that they killed. In a few strigoi I've seen a serene look in their eyes as their torture finally comes to an end, I would even say I've seen thankfulness in a few as they ceased to exist. One of the strigoi from yesterday, he was once a guardian like us, a tear fell from his eye as I released him. That's what I regret, the lives stolen from those who have yet to live a full life. And with each one I release from that...existence...is saving someone who that strigoi may otherwise have killed." I'd been so caught up in my feelings and his eyes that I hadn't been aware that others were listening to what I'd been saying, one of those people was Tatiana.

"Rose." Said Alberta as she approached us. "Do you still wish to chaperone tonight? If you'd rather not, I can get someone else to take your shift."

"No, that's fine, plus I've bought the dress and Liss would be rather pissed if I didn't go now."

"I never said that you shouldn't go, just that you didn't have to work while you're there. I tell you what, you've done your 'bit' for the week, take tonight off and have some fun, dance, have a drink or two and I'll see you tomorrow. But Rose....I'm ordering you to have fun tonight, and you'll need the next few hours to get ready I would imagine." With a wink and a smile she turned and left. Alberta was more than just my friend, she'd been like a mother to me as I grew up here and to have her blessing of my relationship with Dimitri made me happy.

"Come on Comrade, I need to get ready." He lifted his one eyebrow with a suggested look on his face and then followed me back to the dorms.


	25. Chapter 24

**Hi Everyone, So sorry for taking so long to update. There are a few of you that really wanted so lemony R&D lurve... so I thought I'd put this  
in before the dance. I'm actually surprised by how hard this was to write!!! hehehe I kept getting interrupted and kids kept looking  
over my shoulder... ggrrr! But anyway, On with the show!**

**I hope you all enjoy it, ;-) Wink, wink!!! LOL**

**Oh...BTW... This is an 'M' rated chapter... There is nothing tacky, but it is...involved! ;-)**

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**Twenty Four**

_Rose... Are we getting ready for the dance together tonight?_

_Ahh.... _I was walking across the quad to the teacher's dorm with Dimitri by my side, so I had to think quickly.

_Ahh what._..?_ What's going on Rose? _

_Can I get back to you about that?_

_Where are you? _I could feel her inquisitiveness coming through the bond as well as her suspicions.

_I'm walking towards our building._.._why? _There was a few seconds of silence before she spoke again.

_Oh, Okay._.._then why can't you answer my question?_

_Because..._

_Rose, what are you up to? _I smiled, glancing to my right and found Dimitri looking intently at me. _Oh... now I see what you're up to!_

_Get out of my head perv! _I heard her giggling in my head.

_Can you please keep track of the time._.. _I don't want to be late. Call me when you're...done!_

_Oh, funny Liss. But I'm sure that you'll be distracted yourself for the next....hour?_

_Or two..._

_Eww... I'm cutting off this conversation before I lose my appetite, bye Liss..._

_Bye Rose. _She said with a giggle. I looked back to Dimitri who still had an amused look to his face.

"Finished?" he asked.

"Yes... With Lissa at least." I said suggestively. His eyebrow lifted and his slight grin grew into a full blown smile. Those smiles made my heart beat harder; they just lit up my whole world. I knew that every minute I spent with him, increased my feelings and Lissa's offer to follow me for once was beginning to sound better and better as time went on. As we walked through the doors of the teachers building, the guard looked up at us from behind the desk.

"Guardian Hathaway." She said in greeting.

"Guardian Tremaine." I said in reply. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she looked at Dimitri as he walked behind me and I saw her eyes dart to his bandaged neck. I was wondering how I was going to explain me taking him up to my room and that's when I got the answer to my problem. I looked her in the eyes and I subtly touched my fingers to the back of my neck as if to say that we were going to talk about the attack. She nodded and then looked back down to whatever she was reading. We walked up to my room and I unlocked the door. I walked in and was about to shut the door, but Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist and shut the door with his foot. We just looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before his lips came to mine hungrily. I would never get tired of this.

"I'm supposed to be getting ready for the dance." I said after we broke apart.

"Well, you can't go in your guardian's uniform. Let me help you out of it so that you can get changed." I swear my heart rate just doubled.... He glanced down to find the buttons on my jacket and then looked back up to my eyes. My breathing increased as his hands went lower and lower and then once they were dealt with, he slid the jacket off my shoulders. "You won't be needing _that_ tonight." He said quietly.

Then he started to unbutton my shirt, he got the first two undone and then bent forward and kissed my neck just above my collarbone. My eyes shut as my body came alive with desire. I felt his fingers pop the button that was covering my bra and I opened my eyes to see that he was now looking at what he was doing. With one finger, he traced a line slowly down my chest and cleavage; setting my skin on fire. Then the next button popped open, then the next. His eyes held lust as they darted between my now visible chest and my eyes. He brought his hand up and put them against my chest and slowly ran them up and under the fabric covering my shoulders. As he pushed my shirt off he bent forward once again, kissing from my jaw to my neck to my shoulder, and from there his hands ran down my arms...

"You are so beautiful." He whispered against my lips as I felt his hands at my waist. "You don't know how much I've wanted to do this today." Then he pulled me closer to him and softly kissed my lips. I reached up and entwined my fingers into his hair and pulled him into me so that I could deepen the kiss. It wasn't long before I felt his hands at the button of my pants, when they stopped moving, I pulled back so that I could look into his eyes; again he was asking...so I answered with a passionate kiss. I felt the release of the button and clasp and then they fell around my feet. He reached his arms around behind me and trailed his fingers slowly up my spine, passing my bra and continued up into my hair, where they grabbed a hold and gently pulled my head back exposing my neck to him.

My body was now completely on fire and if he didn't hurry up, I would soon start to hyperventilate. His lips left mine and trailed kisses down to my now exposed neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Every nerve was bristling at his touch; his hands released my hair and travelled back down to the clasp at my back and it came open in a second, that piece of clothing fell to the floor and landed on top of the other discarded clothing. My hands unconsciously made their way down to the hem of his t-shirt but as I started to lift it up, his hands stopped me. "Not yet..." he whispered against my neck.

"Oh God, Dimitri... I'm going to combust soon if...." My line of thought was broken as I felt his breath against my skin as he laughed. I nearly asked where he was going as I felt him move away from my neck.

"No you won't.... not yet." He said against my lips. "I plan on getting you a _lot_ hotter." My insides did a flip at his implication and I started to push him towards my bed, but it was like trying to move a brick wall, but I got the hint..._he_ was in charge. He smiled as he saw that realisation register in my face. He moved back slightly and looked down at my body and when he looked back to me the look in his eyes now showed hunger and lust. His hands explored my body on their way down to my lace underwear where he hooked his fingers in and slowly pushed them down to join the rest of my clothes. He took my hands in his and pulled me forward a step. "Stand there." He whispered. He then took a few more steps backwards and just looked at me. This was probably the most erotic thing I'd ever experienced, I was completely naked...standing in front of the man I loved and he was staring at me with hungry eyes and a smile.

When I couldn't take it any longer I walked over to him and grabbed the hem of his shirt, this time he didn't stop me. After it came off, I trailed my fingertips down the middle of his chest and outlined each well defined muscle of his abs; making them flinch at my touch. I then leant forward and traced each of his nipples with the tip of my tongue, garnering a growl for my efforts... Now was his turn to tremble.... As I moved to the other side, my hands went down to release the buttons to his pants. "Roza..." his said with his eyes closed. I pushed down his pants and boxers in one foul swoop and then as he bent down to kiss me, I stepped backwards as he'd done so that I could now look at him. Goosebumps covered started at my scalp and slowly tingled their way down my body as stood drinking in the God that stood before me and as our eyes met, our desire could not wait any longer.

We crashed into each other's embrace, our mouths working double time against one another. Dimitri wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up off the ground so that now my face was level with his. I wrapped my legs around him, our mouths never parting and he walked us over to my bed. I felt myself falling backwards towards it so I gripped tighter around him so that we wouldn't separate. As I felt the fabric against my back, I loosened my grip I had of him with my legs but I didn't take them off him.

"I love you." I whispered to him as we looked into each other's eyes.

"I love you more." He said with a smile. He reached up and unwrapped my legs but his body stayed where it was, then his fingers trailed down my stomach and slipped slowly into my body.

"Oh...." I breathed as my eyes closed. The world around me ceased to exist as the only thing that registered in my world was what he was doing to me. My body arched off the bed as he kept his promise and made my body hotter than it was before. "Dimitri..." I whispered. I opened my eyes and saw that his face was mere millimetres from my own, but before I could say anything else he brought our mouths together again. Even at my heightened state, the feeling of our tongues coming together still caused shocks to shudder through my body. Without any prompting from me, his fingers came away from my body and he slowly pushed himself inside of me. Not only was he a God to look at but he was a God in bed too. He brought me closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy with each thrust.

I pushed against his chest and flipped him onto his back, then I got up onto my knees and straddled him. His hands came to my hips and without saying anything; I slowly lowered myself onto him. "Oh good Lord... Oh..." He said as his eyes closed as his jaw clenched. He sat up and held me tight as we moved together. "Oh Rose..." His hands moved up to cup my face and he kissed me so softly; his tongue slowly traced the edges of my lips and then he kissed from chin down my neck. Before I knew it, I was once again underneath him and I no longer wanted things soft and slow.

"Harder, push harder." I said panting at his ear. "I want to feel you....deep inside me." I heard and felt his growl as pulled my legs up to where they were before and drove himself deeply into me. "Oh...yes...harder..."

"Roza..." he growled between clenched teeth. He pushed harder and faster and I could feel myself floating closer and closer to the brink.

"Dimitri...Oh... Oooohhhh!" I dug my fingers into his back as I reached my peak and I heard Dimitri let out a moan as he too found his release. We layed together unmoving as we came down from our highs and our heart rates started to beat to a normal pace.

"You....are.....amazing." he said in between kisses. I smiled as he continued kissing my lips, face and neck; I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not live without him. I would follow him anywhere. I looked into his eyes and saw the love I felt for him, looking back at me. "What are you thinking about?" He asked me.

"Us. Where we go from here. You know, nothing big." I said with a smile.

"Where do you want to go from here?"

"Anywhere where you are." I said truthfully. He smiled and kissed me slowly and passionately, we were still together and I gasped as I felt him grow inside of me once more. "Again..?"

"Mmm..." he growled as he bit my ear. This man was just way too good to be true and for the second time in hour, he rocked my world.

Afterwards, we layed tangled up, my head resting on his chest and listening to his strong, steady heart beating beneath my ear. I really didn't want to have to move, but I knew we'd been here a while and we really did need to get ready for the dance. I tore myself up from his embrace and placed my chin on my hand that was on his chest. "We have to get ready."

"I don't want to move." He said.

"I know, but if we don't people are going to come knocking."

"Well, lock the door and we'll pretend that we aren't here." I laughed softly to myself as I found myself mesmerised by his deep brown eyes.

"If only they'd go away so easily, they'd just unlock the door with their own key. And then we'd be sprung....again." I thought about Alberta's acceptance but didn't think it would extend to too many other people around here, especially straight laced Stan. Thinking about what his face would look like if he happened to come in and find us in this situation made me smile.

"By that smile I would think you wanted to be caught. Just for shock value." Admittedly it would be funny to see Stan's face, but no, I didn't feel like being caught, again... I sighed and reached up and kissed his lips.

_Is it safe yet? _I laughed again as I heard Lissa's voice in my head. Dimitri's forehead creased in confusion but when I tapped a finger against my head, he realised what was going on.

_Ah... not quite, for a visual._.._but chatting is alright I suppose._

_Oh Rose, you really are a wicked woman. About time... So are we getting ready together or should I just meet you there?_

_No, together... Give me....half an hour?_

_Ah-huh... I'll just see you when I see you, shall I? _I couldn't help but laugh at her tone, I could feel through the bond that she was giddy with happiness for me and that meant so much.

_Well, if you don't go, I'll never make it._ _See you soon Liss._

_Okay Rose, see you soon._

"I need a shower." I said to him. I got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom and Dimitri followed. It was probably the best shower I'd ever had.

"Pass me the soap." Dimitri said from behind me. I grabbed the soap from the shower caddy in front of me and passed it back to him then he handed it back to me. Next thing I knew, his hands slid up my back to my neck. His fingers slipped and slid across my skin; massaging as they went. I turned to face him and his slippery hands now repeated their dance on the front of my body as we kissed. I lathered up my hands and dropped the soap before returning the favour and I can honestly say that he would have the most sensual body I've ever seen in my life. Not that I've seen all that many in _this _context, but I have grown up with half naked male Dhampir's all my life. Mason and Eddie were two very well developed men who were actually quite distracting when I was younger, so to say that Dimitri beat them all was...well...truthful. After he'd finished washing every inch of my body, he started on my hair and the feeling of his fingers in amongst my hair made my skin tingle. Once we were done, we got out and dried off.

"When are you meeting Lissa?" he asked me. I smiled as I realised that he'd understood what my silent conversation with her was about.

"In about ten minutes." He nodded and then kissed me.

"Well, you need to get dressed....now that I got you out of those horrible work clothes." I laughed as I pulled myself into his embrace.

"That you did Comrade, that you did." He kissed the top of my head and walked back out to the room where he got dressed. I stood at the doorway and watched him; there was no physical task or action that Dimitri could do that wasn't slightly stimulating to me.

"Enjoying the show Rose?"

"You bet your little cotton socks, I am..." he looked at me with one eyebrow raised and laughed and shook his head.

"Well, I'm glad I don't disappoint."

"Dimitri, 'disappoint' is definitely _not _a word that would pop into my mind when looking at your body."

"I feel the same about you too Rose." He said smiling as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He sighed and then kissed me again before walking over to my door. "See you tonight." I nodded and then he walked out grinning. Just as the door shut, Liss popped into my mind again.

_Did he just leave?_

_Yes Liss, I've just got out of the shower, so I'll get dressed and I'll be there in five, alright?_

_Okay... Oh! The shower...? Eww! Mental picture..... Thanks Rose. _I couldn't help but laugh at her words; I could just imagine her face screwed up on the other side of the door that joined our two rooms.

_You're welcome. Now go away and let me get dressed._


	26. Chapter 25

**Hi Everyone! Well, you guys certainly liked the last chapter! hehehe Some of you don't want too much more of that, some do, but  
there won't be too much more of it for a while... I must say that as sad as I am that Eternity is finished,  
it's much easier only having one story in my head, than two!!! I've written three chapters in about 3 hours!!!! hehehehe  
Anyway, I hope you like the next three chapters, they all cover the dance.... A LOT happens! :-)**

**Thanks again for all the reviews... You guys are the best!**

**Oh, btw, The dresses that Rose and Lissa wear are on my profile page if you want to see what they look like...**

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**Twenty Five**

The dance Part one.

My heart was soaring as I opened the door that was between our rooms. Lissa was sitting on her sofa with a huge grin plastered on her face. Normally, I wouldn't feel any sort of embarrassment around Liss; after all the things we've shared over the years, embarrassment was one emotion that faded many years ago. But...I couldn't help the blush that filled my face.

"What?" I asked in a rather sheepish voice...very UN-Rose like.

"Nothing..." she continued to just grin at me. "But I do think that you should maybe call your 'stress relief' and ask him to bring back your brain, because unless you're planning on wearing your workout clothes to the dance, I think you forgot to bring something." I closed my eyes and turned back around to go get my dress from my closet. I could feel and hear her amusement as I rummaged around in my room. It was in that instant that I realised just how much of my thoughts revolved around Dimitri these days.

_Have you given anymore thought to what I said a little while back? _She asked through the bond.

_What do you mean?_

_You know what I mean, don't act all innocent around me. _I did know what she meant; she was talking about her offer to follow me for once.

_I don't know Liss._ _Something this big needs to be thought out a little more don't you think? And plus, I don't know if Dimitri would even want to, he may not have the same bond with Christian that I have with you... _"But their bond is just as strong in a lot of ways. So a decision like that would not only affect me and you, it would change the lives of many people." I said aloud as I came back through the door.

"That's true, but you seem to be under the impression that Christian wouldn't jump at the chance to be away from all the 'political crap' as he calls it."

"Have you thought about what would happen to your standing in the Moroi community if we _were_ to leave? I doubt that Tatiana would welcome you back with open arms if we decided to ever come back."

"Well, her arms may not open willingly, but as the last Dragomir, she'd have no other option but to welcome me back. She'd commit political suicide if she didn't. Plus, who says we have to go without her blessing?" I gave her a confused look and then she smiled that wicked smile of hers that told me she was up to no good. Then I realised what she meant...compulsion, she'd compel the queen to let us leave willingly, that way coming back wouldn't ever be a problem. Years ago I worried about her using compulsion on people, but her ability with it was so great now that I knew she was in no danger using it, even on the queen.

"Oh, by the way, I've been practising something new that I've learnt to do." I must have really been preoccupied lately not to be aware of a new power of hers.

"And this is the first time I'm hearing of it?" She smiled and patted the sofa next to her. I went and sat down after I laid my dress over the small dining table.

"I want to show you something that may give you another prospective when you think about what we've been talking about." She held one of my hands in hers and then touched my forehead with the index finger of her other hand. An image came into my mind, almost like a movie, it was Liss and Christian talking...here on the sofa where we now sat.

"_I know this is going to sound like a rather heavy question, but where do you see your life in a few years Christian?" Liss asked._

"_Not here that's for sure." He said smiling. "I don't know...out enjoying my life to the best of my ability, why?"_

"_You don't want to live at the Royal Court, somewhere safe like that?"_

"_Hell no... Why would I want to live with a bunch of stuck up Royal pricks that cower behind their guardians in that gilded cage and live a boring life while waiting for my death? I'd rather be out in the world, having fun doing dangerous stuff."_

"_But wouldn't you be worried about Strigoi?" she asked him._

"_Yes and no. Every time you stick your head out of the wards you run the risk of being killed by them, but you know as well as I do that wards can be broken. How many of us have died or been turned while we've been in the so called safety of warded properties? I'm only still here because of two people, you and Dimitri. Once he graduates.... I'm hoping that we can all work something out, together." He pulled one of her hands up and pressed it against his lips while never taking his eyes off hers. _

I opened my eyes to see Liss pull her hand away from my head and then she smiled.

"You see..." she said.

"That was a memory?" She nodded and thoughts of what our lives could be like on the outside flooded my head.

"Come on, we need to get ready. Just think about it." She stood up and dragged me with her over to the bathroom where we spent the next hour primping and preening. It felt good to be 'girly' again; it had been years since we had done this.

"You look amazing Rose. I can't wait to see if Dimitri can control himself tonight. I hope you've covered _that_ lesson by now..." I playfully hit her arm as she tried to duck out of my reach laughing. Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting someone?"

"No, are you?"

"Not that I remember." She walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a heart stoppingly gorgeous Adrian. He wore deep charcoal grey dress pants, aubergine silk shirt and a black woollen jacket that reached down to his calves. The collar of his jacket stood up around his neck and his hair was slicked back. This made his stunning deep green eyes shine like emeralds. It had been a long time since I'd seen him so 'slick', he normally sauntered around in his usual messy upmarket style, he really was a stunning man. "What are you doing here Adrian?" I asked with a smile.

"Oh! Stake me why don't you Little Dhampir." He put his hand over his heart and swooned as if he was about to fall to the ground. "It is 6:30...is it not?" Then I remembered him saying that he'd be here to pick me up at this time.

"I believe it is." He came in and gave Liss a kiss on the cheek and told her how stunning she was and then came over to me. He put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me on the end of my nose.

"You are divine...as always. You know that you didn't need to wear such a revealing dress tonight, I have already seen what's under your clothes." I glared at him as I heard Liss laughing behind him.

"True..." I said in typical Rose fashion. "But from now on, this is as much as you'll ever get to see again." He shook his head and laughed one of his genuinely amused laughs. I missed that from him, normally they were either calculated or just a snicker. He smiled as his eyes searched mine and then I could tell he was looking at my aura. I don't know what he saw but he winked at me and then turned to face Liss.

"Well ladies, if you would both do me the honour of accompanying me to the dance..." He held out both of his arms, which we took and then we walked out of the room.

* * *

As we walked in, students, teachers and guardians alike all turned to face us. Male Moroi and novices eyes bugged as they looked between Lissa and me. The girls smiled greedily as they stared at Adrian, I don't think they'd ever seen him in all his splendour.

_I live for moments like these... _I said through the bond.

_One thing about you Rose, you always make an entrance, dressed like that or not! _I couldn't help but laugh as Adrian walked us over to some of the other teachers. I didn't want to make it too obvious that I was looking for a certain someone, so I did the 'looking but not looking' thing that us guardians did so well. It didn't take long to find him... He stood tall in dark brown pants, a white dress shirt with a tie that hung loosely around his neck and a light brown duster jacket.... I smiled as I looked into his eyes. He looked like a modern day cowboy waiting to come rescue damsels in distress; he was just missing the hat! I saw his eyes slowly travel down my dress and then back up and then he took a deep breath as our eyes met once again. He made the slightly shake of his head from side to side, almost unnoticeable, but I saw it.

"Princess, Lord Ivashkov, Guardian Hathaway... You all look amazing. A little revealing though don't you think?" Alberta said with a smile.

"Not at all Alberta. I'm actually showing less skin than I normally do." She just laughed and shook her head at me. I saw someone approach from behind her and was surprised to see Dimitri and Christian.

"Guardian Hathaway, Princess..." Dimitri said with a slight bow of his head. "You both look...beautiful tonight. Lord Ivashkov." He said in a slightly different tone. Adrian smiled beside me, one of his sneaky smiles but before I could say anything, I saw Dimitri's eyes widen. He wasn't looking at me, but over my shoulder so I turned around to see what he was looking at and I saw that Hope, Trudy and Mia had just arrived. Hope wore the sexiest, skimpiest black dress I've seen in a long time...I _loved_ it. It was floor length with a plunging neckline that went almost to her stomach, but that wasn't the best part...the sides of the dress were completely open, the edges bridged by large gold pins; it let everyone know that she had no underwear on under that dress! I could see why Dimitri's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. I turned expecting to see him still staring at her but he wasn't, his eyes were on their way up my body...

"Um, Lord Ivashkov..." said Alberta. "I don't know if the headmistress is going to be all that happy with your sister's choice in clothing." He turned around and smiled.

"Actually, that's pretty good compared to some of the things I've seen her in Guardian Petrov. You should be happy that she chose that one. Rose, would you care to dance?" he asked me. I happened to be looking at Dimitri when he asked me and I saw his jaw clench, but we couldn't just stand around like this all night...

"Yeah, sure."

"You're next Cuz." He said as he slapped her on the butt.

"In your dreams you old soak!" she replied with a smirk.

"If you insist!" We all laughed as she poked her tongue out at him and then we walked off to the dance floor. I shook my head as we got there, the pumping dance music finished and a slow dance started up, of course...

"How much did that cost you?" I asked him as he took me in his arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about lover."

"Sure you don't. The music just happens to go to a slow song just as we arrive...? A little too coincidental if you ask me..." He smiled and then brought his face down to my ear.

"Just enjoy the ride my love." I pulled back to look at him and was surprised when he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Adrian!" I growled at him. I knew that Dimitri would be watching and I just hoped that he'd learnt enough self control to not react. A huge grin spread across his face and then he grabbed my hand and spun me around under his arm and then pulled me back into his body.

"Let's show them what _real_ dancing is my love." When we were going out, Adrian had wanted to take me to a ball at Court, but I didn't know how to dance, so he had some famous Moroi dancer teach me how. I loved dancing with him like this, it felt like floating on ice... I didn't realise that we'd been the only ones on the floor until we'd finished. As the last note in the music played everyone around us launched into cheers and whistles and applause. We bowed to everyone and then walked back to where we were before. "Now _that_ was fun." Adrian said to me.

"Rose, that was unreal! I never knew you could dance like that." Alberta said.

"Yeah Guardian Hathaway, you're just full of surprises aren't you." Christian said suggestively.

"You have no idea Sparky..."

"I pictured you doing a slightly different type of dancing actually." He said.

"Oh, I do that too, but don't worry; I won't do it around you... It would be such a shame if you were to spontaneously combust." I said in my most sarcastic voice.

_Rose! _Liss may have yelled at me through the bond, but I could feel her amusement.

_Don't yell at me woman, you loved it._.. _And plus, he started it. _She narrowed her eyes at me and then shook her head. Just then Alberta's earpiece clicked and she listened to what was being said. She looked to the other guardians who were standing around us and they all went in different directions. "What's going on?" I asked her.

"The queen is on her way." Great! And I was just starting to have fun.... Always trust _her_ to show up and ruin a perfectly good night. The guardians had moved everyone off the floor and had them standing in two lines from the doorway to greet 'Her Hoityness' when she came in.

Lissa and Christian stood side by side and Dimitri and I stood at their left arms behind them. The queen walked in with her guardians at her side but then I noticed the girl that walked behind her. Her hair was jet black and her eyes were a piercing blue, an Ozera. I quickly glanced at Christian and saw him smiling at her; it was one of the most genuine smiles I'd seen on his face. This must be his aunt; Tasha was her name I think, she looked a lot like him actually, but she was stunning. The queen nodded to the people as she passed them but stopped when she got to Liss.

"Princess Vasilisa, you look amazing. I see life here is going well for you." The queen's eyes flicked to me and did a quick sweep of my dress. I saw a slight shake of her head as she looked back to Lissa. _Bitch!_

"Yes your majesty, it is. Thank you."

"Christian, I'm glad to see that you're back and that you are once again safe." I saw her glance to Dimitri then and narrow her eyes at him too, oh well, that's just one _more_ thing we have in common.

"It's good to see you too your majesty." Then she smiled as she went to Adrian.

"Nephew, why have you not come to visit me lately?"

"I've been busy Aunt, but I promise I will come see you again soon."

"Make sure you do." She looked at Hope next to him and her eyes glanced down at her dress. By the look on her face, she didn't approve, and then her next words confirmed it.

"Nice to know some things never change." Tatiana drew a deep breath and shook her head. "Surely with _your_ bank account, you could have found a dress that doesn't make you look like a cheap blood whore." Now normally I would have cheered that comment, but I did feel just a tad sorry for Hope at the same time. I was actually surprised at her reaction though. _I_ would have been mortified if the queen had said that to me, but Hope lifted her chin in defiance and smiled.

"I'm sure I could have Aunt, but this is just more my style."

"Always has been." She retaliated. I'd been so enthralled with what was going on I hadn't seen the look on Dimitri's face until now. He was smiling at Tasha Ozera and she was smiling back, I started to feel my pulse race and anger set in... first Hope, now Tasha! I couldn't blame them really, Dimitri was stunningly handsome and he had a very magnetic personality, but shit...how many more girls from the past are going to come haunt me tonight? Lissa obviously felt something wrong through the bond.

_What's wrong Rose? Your emotions are making me giddy._

_Nothing. _

_Rose?_

_Nothing Liss, just drop it. _I realised that I was feeling extremely jealous and I hated feeling like this. As soon as protocol dictated it everyone moved back to the dance floor and I went to stand near the other guardians.

"Rose, I gave you the night off to have some fun, why aren't you out there dancing?" Alberta asked me.

"Yes Rosemarie, I would love to see you dance." Tatiana said in her usual sneer, but before I could say anything, Adrian stepped forward and held out his hand to me.

"Would you do me the honour my love?" We both ignored the slight growl we heard from the queen's direction as we walked to the dance floor once again. He took me to the centre of the floor and went over to the DJ; I cringed at what he was requesting.

"What did you ask for?" He was smiling as he walked back to me and wrapped his arms around me, but by his arm position, I knew what we were dancing... "You're kidding...?"

"Nope..." he waggled his eyebrow and pulled me in tight. "Ready to dance the dance of lovers, lover?"

"Why not. She already hates me..."

"That's the spirit." He said with a huge grin. As the music for the Tango started everyone made sure we had enough room and we pranced and sashayed across the floor. Like I said, dancing with Adrian was exhilarating... Before we finished I heard Liss in my head...

_I wouldn't let Adrian kiss you, Dimitri's about to blow a gasket! _As we finished he did go to kiss me but I turned my head and found myself looking directly into two not so happy, deep brown eyes. We took our bow and walked back to the others but the one I wanted to see was now gone.


	27. Chapter 26

**Well, howdy hoo! :-) They're coming thick and fast now guys... hehehe Here's the next installment, But shock, Horror!!!  
You guys are all falling in love with Adrian!! hehehehe  
He's a bit suave hey... Nothin' better than a man who knows how to dance your socks off! ;-)  
Sorry it's not all that long, but the next one is much longer!**

**Anyway... On with the show!  
Enjoy!**

* * *

**Twenty Six**

The Dance Part Two

The queen wasn't all that happy with our dance, but she complimented us anyway, much to her chagrin. It was getting a little warm in here and I hadn't seen Dimitri since Adrian and I did the Tango, so I thought I'd go for a walk.

_Want me to come with you Rose?_

_No Liss, it's fine, stay and have fun. _She nodded and went back to talking politics with the queen. I walked outside the gym into the cool night air, which was a delight after being in the gym with all those people... I walked around towards the back of the building where the pond is to get a little peace and quiet but as I got closer I heard a couple of familiar voices. It was Hope and Dimitri...

"Yes Hope, I do remember."

"I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten everything we shared." I wanted to turn around and not have to hear this, but my legs wouldn't move. "We were good together....you and I, weren't we?" He didn't answer. "We could be again Dimitri." Again there was no answer...why wasn't he answering? My heart was beating hard against my ribs. Surely my dancing with Adrian wasn't enough to make him change his mind...was it?

"What happened after we left?" he said.

"They looked for about six months and then they just put the word out for others to keep an eye out for you both. I don't think they thought you'd last that long though. Dimitri, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Are you seeing someone?"

"Sort of. Why?"

"Well if it's not all that serious, would you consider trying to work things out with me?"

"What makes you think it's not serious?"

I heard her snort a soft laugh... "Ah.... '_sort_ _of_....I think were your words. That's not really what someone would say about a serious relationship. Who is it?" I really needed to leave...

"I'd rather not say at the moment but I'm serious...about her." I let out the breath that I didn't realise that I'd been holding. "I'm just not 100% sure what she feels."

"Kiss me Dimitri." _WHAT! _What on God's green earth was going on? Why would she ask him that when he just told her that he was serious about someone else? I put my guardian mask on and walked around the corner and came face to face with Dimitri and Hope kissing. Her back was to me, but I was in his line of sight.

"What in the _hell_ is going on here," Hope jumped slightly in fright as I spoke but I couldn't look at him so I kept staring at her. "I know you both know about the male/female interaction rule. You need to get back inside..._now_." I don't know how I kept my composure, I felt like I was going to explode.

"Rose... You scared me. Honestly do you take a class on how to sound as scary as all hell or what?" I didn't answer her I just put my arm up indicating where I wanted them to go. I finally looked to Dimitri but he was staring at the ground. "Come on Dimitri, let's dance." As they walked past me, he didn't even have the decency to look at me. I stood where I was, my heart breaking and watched them go back into the gym.

_Rose? What's wrong? Are you alright? _My emotions were all over the place, I felt like I was going to throw up. I couldn't believe he'd do this to me, I didn't want to talk to anyone right now so I put up my mental walls, hitched up my dress and ran.

_

* * *

_

**Lissa's Point of View.**

"I don't understand why you want to stay here Vasilisa; you could do _so_ much more back at Court with me." One day I hoped that I would be living at the Royal Court full time, but for now, the students I was teaching here fulfilled me like nothing else had in a long time.

"These kids, they've travelled a long way to learn about their abilities and Adrian and I are the eldest spirit users we've found so far. By teaching them at their young ages, they will be capable of so much more by the time they get to our ages. Some of what they're capable of now has astonished both of us. You should come to our class tomorrow if you are still going to be here."

"I may do just that. Thank you. Where is your shadow?" I knew she was referring to Rose and it really irked me how little regard she had for Dhampirs.

"She went out for some fresh air." I'd been having feelings of anxiousness flood through the bond for a while now, and it was slowly building...

"So, have you found someone special Vasilisa?" Tatiana asked snapping me out of my thoughts. I could see that she was in a chatty mood, but all I wanted to do was to find out what was wrong with Rose.

"Well, I have met someone."

"Oh really, anyone I know?" I was a little taken back at first; I thought she may have picked up on something. She was fond of Christian, but I didn't know if she'd be all that accepting of our relationship; me being a teacher and all....

"Maybe. We're just taking it slow, seeing if it's something that we both want." I could feel Rose's emotions rolling in like a tidal wave now and it was making my heart start to thump. But Tatiana kept talking....

"Well, when you feel comfortable talking about it, I'd love to meet him." I nodded and was about to excuse myself when I had a crushing feeling in my chest... Rose was hurting...bad! I grimaced and those around me saw it.

"Are you alright Princess?" Alberta asked.

"Ah, I'm just feeling a little off, I think I might go and get some air. If you'll all excuse me please your majesty." They all nodded, Alberta looked at me like she was trying to solve something, and I think she picked up that something was happening through the bond.

_Rose? What's wrong? Are you alright? _I yelled through the bond as I hurriedly walked to the door. Her emotions were almost boiling over, so much so that I'd actually started to feel sick. But before I got outside, all of her emotions stopped, completely stopped. _Rose? Rose...? Answer me Rose... _

"Are you alright Cuz?" I looked up to see Adrian standing beside me with a worried look on his face.

"Something's wrong with Rose." I said. The worried look vanished and was replaced with a determined look.

"Where is she?" he asked. I closed my eyes and tried to get into her head but couldn't.

"I don't know... she's blocking me. Either that or...she's unconscious." He took my arm and pushed the door of the gym open and as we stepped out we came face to face with Hope....and Dimitri, hand in hand. I looked directly in his eyes but he wasn't looking at me. I glanced to Adrian and he was looking between the two of them as well.

"Hope, what were you doing outside?" Adrian asked her. I concentrated on seeing Dimitri's aura and all his normal colors were there, just washed out... I knew what that meant... I turned to face Hope and glared at her.

"We were just getting re-acquainted, weren't we Dimitri?"

"Hope, can you tell me why you used compulsion on him?" I asked her. Adrian looked at me and then at Dimitri, he obviously saw what I did and then grabbed his sister by the arm, pulling her away from Dimitri. Once their hands were apart, Dimitri snapped out of his stupor.

"What have you done?" Adrian growled at her.

"I want him back." She whispered.

"What's going on?" Dimitri asked.

"Liss take him and go find her." Adrian said. I nodded and grabbed Dimitri by the arm and led him away from the now fighting siblings.

"Lissa, what's going on?" I stopped once we were far enough away and turned to face him.

"Hope had you under compulsion." I said. I heard him growl as he turned back to look at Hope and Adrian. "I don't know what happened, but I can guess. Did you see Rose?"

"Rose...? No, why?"

"She came out here before for some air and then I felt... bad feelings come through the bond, really bad, then when I came outside to find her; I see you and Hope holding hands." His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Holding hands? Why would I...? Shit... You don't think Rose saw something while.... do you?"

"More than likely, if her feelings were anything to go by." His forehead crunched up and he hung his head.

"Where is she?" he asked. "I need to find her."

"I don't know, she's blocking me." I was so scared. Rose had experienced so much heartache over the years, and she vowed not to love anyone else after her failed romance with Adrian, and I knew how hard a thing it was for her to let her guard down where Dimitri had been concerned. I also had a front row seat as to how much she loved him, and that last feeling I felt before she blocked me out, was heartbreak. His eyes scanned the trees in front of us but he kept looking back at me.

"I'll go start to look for her; can you go get some more guardians?"

"No Dimitri. If she saw what I think she saw, she may not come to you." I didn't want to hurt him, but I could see it etched on his face. "Come on, we'll go get Alberta." We walked back to the gym and as we neared the door, Mason and Eddie rounded the corner. I couldn't believe their timing.

"You guys are a sight for sore eyes." I said. Mason and Eddie's faces beamed into brilliant smiles as brought them both into a hug. "Does anyone know you're here yet?"

"No why?" Asked Mason.

"We need to find Rose."

"Why do we need to find Rose, can't you just look to see where she is?"

"No, she's blocking me." I could see he wanted more answers but we didn't have time. "Just because... Can we go?"

"Which way did she go?" Eddie asked.

"We don't know." Dimitri said beside me. Mason pointed out some routes for us to take and we all split up and went in different directions. I of course, went with Dimitri. We'd been walking for nearly an hour when we came out to a clearing. I didn't know we had a waterfall on the grounds, but off to one side I saw her sitting on a rock; staring into the black water. Dimitri went to go to her but I held his arm and shook my head.

"Let me first." I said.

"I can't be that far away from you Lissa, if something were to happen, I wouldn't reach you in time."

"Follow me then, but stay out of sight." He nodded and went back further into the trees. As I stepped out from behind the bushes, Rose looked up at me and then she lowered her barriers because the wave of hurt she was feeling crashed into me.

"Liss, what are you doing out here by yourself? Are you crazy?"

"No.... not yet..." I said trying to make her smile. "And I'm not alone, you're here." She looked back down at the water, her face emotionless which considering her emotions, must be a mammoth feat. Just then I saw her hands... They were ripped up and covered in blood. "What happened to your hands?"

"I thought it best to hit a Royal Pine rather than a Royal Moroi." I sat down beside her and took her hands in mine and healed them.

"What happened?"

"I was stupid. That's what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I should have known better. I let my guard down; you think I would have learnt by now not to let anyone in. I always end up hurt."

"Can I see?" I could have just looked but we'd made a pact not to look at certain things without asking. She nodded, so I opened my mind to her and saw her memory of Dimitri and Hope kissing."

"Rose..."

"I don't want to hear it Liss. I'm sick of being used; now I understand why my mother is such a cold hearted bitch. Don't let anyone in and you won't get hurt. A good lesson to live by I think."

"Rose, that wasn't Dimitri."

"Don't make excuses Liss."

"I'm not." Rose lifted her head finally and looked at me and I cringed when I saw the anguish in her eyes. "Hope compelled him. He didn't do that willingly." She turned away, back to the water and I could see her eyes darting around as much as her feelings were. "He loves you Rose." She squeezed her eyes shut and a tear fell onto her cheek.

"Why did I let myself fall in love with him?" she whispered.

"Because I fell in love with you." Dimitri said from behind us. We both jumped slightly at his deep voice and I squeezed her hands that were still in mine.

_Talk to him Rose. He was nearly going out of his mind when he realised what Hope had done. _I put my hand on her shoulder before getting up. I could hear Mason was close by and we were still in the wards so I would go to him. _Mason's here and he's close, so I'll get him to take me back. _She nodded but didn't look at me. I turned around and looked at Dimitri and his eyes held the same anguish that was in Rose's eyes. I hadn't gone far into the trees when I met up with Mason.

"Where in the _hell_ is Belikov? He shouldn't have left you alone." he growled.

"He's just over there," I said pointing over my shoulder. "...talking to Rose."

"You found her? Is she okay?" I nodded but before I could answer his eyes narrowed at me. "Why is _he_ talking to Rose?" _Here we go...._

"They have some... things to talk about." His face was confused for all of five seconds and then realisation set in.

"You're kidding me..." he said as a smile pulled at his mouth. "Wow! Go Rose...."

"Mason..."

"What? Her and Belikov hey..."

"You can't say anything. They'd get into so much trouble if it all got out." He didn't look upset, but I knew him well enough to recognise that smile for what it was, devious!


	28. Chapter 27

**Okay, Okay... here 'tis! hehehe I hope you all like this chapter, I enjoyed writing it... **

* * *

**Twenty Seven**

The Dance Part Three

Rose's Point of View.

"Hope compelled him. He didn't do that willingly." I couldn't believe it... _Compelled him! _I didn't think she was as strong as that. I looked back to the water to let those words sink in and try to think of what to do next. "He loves you Rose." A feeling I couldn't put a name to clenched at my chest, anguish, relief, happiness...? I don't know what it was. I closed my eyes and felt a tear fall onto my cheek, I didn't even realise I was crying.

"Why did I let myself fall in love with him?" I whispered. Every time I opened myself up to someone, I ended up paying the price. This time I fell harder than I ever thought possible...

"Because I fell in love with you." I didn't know he was there and I jumped slightly when he spoke. Dimitri's voice was like warm blanket that wrapped around me and I wanted nothing more than to jump up and wrap myself up in his arms. But something kept me fixed to where I was sitting. She squeezed my hands before speaking through the bond...

_Talk to him Rose. He was nearly going out of his mind when he realised what Hope had done. _I felt her hand on my shoulder before she stood up. I was about to get up with her when she spoke again. _Mason's here and he's close, so I'll get him to take me back. _I knew she wouldn't put herself in danger, she could probably hear him walking around, so I nodded in reply, I didn't trust my voice right now. It was probably only ten seconds later that I saw Dimitri sit down beside me. He didn't say anything, but I knew he was looking at me. I closed my eyes as more tears flowed. I felt him move closer to me until our legs were touching and before I knew it, my head was on his shoulder and his arm was around me and holding me tight.

"I don't know what happened," he said quietly. "but please know that I love you more than anything else in my life. I would give it all up for you." That same unknown feeling grabbed at me again at that last sentence.

"I couldn't believe it at first." I said. "I was so sure of our feelings, but then... I thought of all the other times that people I've loved turned their backs on me, hurt me, and then I felt stupid for letting it happen again."

"I'll never hurt you. I mean it Rose; I'd rather give everything away than lose you. Can I kiss you?" I smiled through a fresh batch of tears and I nodded. His hand came up under my chin and lifted my face to his. "I'm so sorry Roza." Then he closed the gap between us and my body tingled as he kissed me. It was so gentle and loving; I could live forever attached to his lips and live in eternal happiness.

"Do you think she'll try again?" I asked him once the kiss was broken. His face showed so many emotions as he wiped my tears away with his thumbs.

"I don't know, I hope not. But there is something that I'd like to try. I thought about it while we were looking for you." I waited to hear what he had to say. "I know there are people who know about us so I thought if we get all of them together as a group, I can tell Hope that I know what she did and that I don't want a relationship with her, that my heart belongs to another. We don't need to let on that it's you. She won't be able to compel that many people and if she knows that _that_ many people have heard my wishes, she may not try anything again."

"That might work. Are you aware that Adrian knows about us?"

"No... I didn't know that."

"He was the first person to pick up on... your effect on me. He walked into the gym after our first training session and saw my aura." His eyebrow lifted as a smirk spread across his face as he remembered that day. "What's that smirk for?"

"Nothing really, it's just nice to know that I wasn't the only one feeling something that day." Now I had my _own_ smirk...it was nice to know he felt the same pull.

"Getting back to Adrian... As a spirit user, both he and Liss can't be compelled. We know this because they tried. Lissa is the strongest in compulsion that we've seen, even amongst the other spirit users and even _she_ can't make them do anything. So what I was thinking is that they both need to be there." I could see his confusion as to why I would say this. "Even with all the others around, she could just compel them at a later stage to forget what you said. She can't do that with Adrian and Liss." As much as I wanted to stay here with him forever, I knew we needed to get back, a search party would be sent out soon if we didn't. "Come on, we need to get back." We stood up and started to walk back to the gym.

As we saw the building through the trees, Dimitri stopped walking and pulled me into his arms. "I'm sorry I caused you pain."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but it still hurts to know that you had to go through that."

"Can I ask you something?" He nodded never taking his eyes off mine.

"How do you know Tasha Ozera?"

"I've known Tasha for ages through Christian, but I haven't seen her for like....four years. I couldn't believe how much she's grown up when I saw her, although I shouldn't be surprised considering she's a year older than me. She's always been like another big sister to me...nothing more." Then he kissed me once more before we let go of our hands and walked back into the gym.

I instantly felt relief come through the bond. I glanced over to where I knew she was standing and smiled at her.

_Excellent! _She said. _Oh, by the way... Mason knows._

I groaned at the thought of what he was going to say. _What about Eddie? _I asked as we walked over to her.

_I don't know, he said he wouldn't tell anyone, but you know Mase... _Yeah I did! This was the sort of dirt that he would have a field day with... Hopefully, the fact that the 'dirt' was about me might make him keep his comments to himself. I was about to talk more about it to her when the DJ spoke over the loud speaker.

"Alright then... How is everyone enjoying the dance tonight?" he yelled. The students all replied with a loud cheer and then he continued. "How about something a little different? I've had a request for a teacher/student dance." Two people instantly came to mind for this little turn of events.... Adrian and Mason... well, maybe three counting Christian... I looked over to him but he was looking at Lissa with eager eyes, so I didn't think it was him.

"Oh no..." moaned Alberta beside me. "Whose bright idea was that?"

"Oh come on Alberta, one dance won't kill you." Said Lissa.

"Alright then, I will if you and Rose will." She thought she had us but Lissa smiled and without a word dragged Christian out to the dance floor. I looked up and saw Alberta looking at me expectantly. Just to see what she'd do, I grabbed Dimitri by the arm and dared Alberta with my eyes.... "You're kidding me..." She said with an incredulous look. I smiled and walked towards the dance floor; my heart beating madly... I think my blood pressure shot up ten points as his arms came around my waist.

Just as the music started, he bent down to my ear and spoke just loud enough for me to hear him. "Relax Rose, you'll give us away." With that he grabbed my right hand and pulled it out. "_He's_ not the only one who knows how to dance." I smiled at his words and then realised what song was playing... It was the song from my dream... This can't be a co-incidence.... He gave me a quick wink and then I realised that he'd been the one to request this 'dance'...

_It's been a long and winding journey, but I'm finally here tonight,  
Picking up the pieces, and walking back into the light,  
Into the sunset of your glory, where my heart and future lies,  
There's nothing like that feeling, when I look into your eyes..._

"When did you organise this?"

_My dreams came true; when I found you,  
I found you, my miracle..._

"Before the dance started, I let him know I was ready when we walked in before..." Then he smiled that smile that made me go weak as he led me around the floor in a waltz. No more was said, we just danced and everyone else disappeared.

_If you could see, what I see, that you're the answer to my prayers,  
And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel,  
You would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here..._

Standing here before you, feels like I've been born again,  
Every breath is your love, every heartbeat speaks your name...

My dreams came true, right here in front of you,  
My miracle...

If you could see, what I see, you're the answer to my prayers,  
And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel,  
You would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here...

Brought me here to be with you,  
I'll be forever grateful (oh forever Faithful),  
My dreams came true,  
When I found you,  
My miracle...

I had thought that there was nothing like dancing with Adrian, but I was wrong... it was then that the words tumbled out of my mouth....

"Did you mean it?" I asked. He gave me a confused look but smiled none the less...

_If you could see, what I see, you're the answer to my prayers,  
And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel,  
You would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here..._

"Probably... but, did I mean what?"

_  
Yes they brought me here...  
If you could feel, the tenderness I feel...  
You would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here..._

"That you'd give it all up." His eyebrow lifted and he looked at me to see if I was being serious and then I saw his face change and his grip on me intensified.

"In a heartbeat." He said as the music faded away...

"So would I." I said with a smile. He took a step backward without letting my hand go and bowed to me. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see people around us with eyes popping and curious faces so I said the first thing that came into my head...

"Alright twinkle toes... You've had your fun, now go report back to your friends..." His grin turned into a full on laugh and he shook his head as he bent forward and kissed my hand.

"Thank you for the dance Guardian Hathaway." I nodded and turned away from him while the blush crept into my cheeks. Thankfully the lights were down, but I could always just blame it on the dancing...

_Well that was hot..._ said Liss as we walked. _Did you even remember that the gym was full of other people?_

_Not really, no... _

"See Guardian Petrov... it wasn't that bad, was it." Lissa chimed in as we got back to where we were standing before. I didn't realise that Dimitri and Christian had followed us back, although I shouldn't have been surprised really.

"I suppose not, but gees Rose, how many dances do you know? I think you danced better with Belikov here than you did with Lord Ivashkov." _Well the partner makes all the difference. _I thought to myself. Dimitri looked pleased with her comment.

"Oh, I have a few different dances in my repertoire."

"I'm sure you do Rose..." Christian said under his breath, which earned him one of my glares.

"Hey Rose..." I looked over to see Mason and Eddie walking up to us. I wondered if they'd danced too...

"Welcome back Mase, Eddie..."

"Told ya we wouldn't be long... Oh by the way, while we were gone I was thinking about buying myself a little present. You know how I love going fast..?" I had a bad feeling about the way that he just lifted his eyebrow.

"Yeah..."

"Well, I was thinking about getting myself a motorbike..." _Okay...not what I was expecting..._

"Do you have enough money for one Mase?"

"Yeah, I do... The one I'm looking at is made by _Cossack_." I felt my face drain of color.... "It's Russian... They say that there's nothing quite like riding a Russian..." I couldn't believe he just _said_ that! As my eyes bulged, Lissa, and Alberta burst out laughing, Christian spat up the mouthful of drink he had in his mouth at the time and Stan stood there with a stupid ass grin on his face while wondering what was so funny. I on the other hand was speechless... Dimitri looked at me and then a Mason while doing a bang up job of not laughing.... "Have you ever ridden a Russian before Rose? I hear there's nothing quite like it." I narrowed my eyes at him and let the real Rose Hathaway come out to play....

"Actually Mase, I _have_ ridden a Russian... quite recently in fact. And I can tell you that there is _nothing_ better than sitting your ass on a nice....hard....Russian, and feeling the powerful _thrust_ between your legs when you take off." That comment sent everyone but Stan, Dimitri and I into hysterics. Christian actually fell to the floor holding his stomach and gasping for air and Dimitri choked back his laughter as he looked to the ceiling. "Although they probably have a bit too much power for someone like you... You're more of a...Moped sort of person, _that's_ more your style." I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from joining Christian on the floor so I knew not to look at Dimitri otherwise I would have cracked up.

Mason and Eddie could no longer hold on to their guardian masks... they both roared laughing, Eddie smashing Mason on the back nearly knocking him over.

"You should know not to play dirty with Rose, she'll knock you on your ass every time dude!" Eddie said. He knew me so well...

"So...You'd recommend them then..?" Mason asked with tears in his eyes... he really didn't know when to stop. "The Russian made ones...? By the sound of it, you had a great time...riding it."

"Oh, I most certainly did Mase, best ride I've ever had. The American made ones just don't have the same..._effect_...on me." I said, emphasising the word 'effect'... "I figure if you're going to go for a ride, it should be on something _big_...and _hard_...and _thumping; _and they build them _big _in Russia, don't they Dimitri." He kept his poker face on, but I saw him swallow as he tried to keep from laughing.

"They certainly do." He said lifting an eyebrow. Then he bent towards me and whispered, "Are we still talking motorbikes?" That's when I lost it.... I was laughing so hard I had to lean on Lissa.

"Oh my God... My stomach...hurts.... Stop...no more...I can't...take...anymore." Christian spluttered while gasping for air.

"I really don't see what's so bloody funny you lot." Stan said irritably, I don't think he liked being out of the loop. "You guys are the strangest people I think I've ever had the misfortune of meeting." There was a moment of silence as we all looked at Stan's bewildered face, and then we all roared laughing again, Dimitri included this time. With that he huffed, shook his head and sauntered off mumbling something about idiots... I couldn't quite hear him over our laughter.

"What's so funny?" Asked an unfamiliar voice. Liss and I were still trying to get our breaths back but I looked up once I heard Dimitri's voice.

"Tasha. It's good to see you again." He said, I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You too Dimka, God what are they feeding you here, you're so _big!_" Well that just started Christian off again....

"They....build em..._big_ in....Russia! Oh....shit!" He said gasping yet again...

"Oh.... I've got to go..." Alberta said while wiping her tears away... "I need to....breathe." She continued laughing as she walked off.

"Christian, get up off the floor before Tatiana sees you." Tasha said. Liss and I tried desperately to compose ourselves, wiping the tears from our eyes. "So, what was the joke?"

"Ah, not a joke as such, just some good natured ribbing." Said Mason. As she turned to face him, his eyes widened ever so slightly as did his smile, I don't know if anyone else saw it, but I did. "I'm Mason Ashford, nice to meet you."

_Oh, get a load of his face! _Said Liss through the bond....

_Yeah, I know._...

**Okay.... Well a little post script here... Now that you've read this chapter, where would you guys like to see our favourite duo's live head? To Court or somewhere else? I have a storyline in mind for both, so I thought I'd ask... Let me know what you all think. Sandy!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Well then, I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I was laughing while I was writing it too! My husband actually came into  
the study and asked me what was so funny! hehehe He didn't get it!!! LOL**

**Well, this chapter is a lot longer, I had to get to a certain point and couldn't chop it off any earlier  
so I hope you like it. Where do you all think it will end???? ;-)**

**Thanks for all of the reviews guys, they're great!**

****

**Twenty** Eight.

* * *

After getting to know Tasha, I found that I really liked her, I don't know what went wrong when Christian was created, but I really liked _this_ Ozera, so did Mason for that matter. He stuck to us like the proverbial fly to shit!

"I can't believe you did that?" I laughed. "He _really_ let you dress him up?"

"Well, I don't know about 'let' so much as didn't want to get burnt anymore... He kept pushing me away and he was a lot stronger than me, so I just kept flicking little bits of fire at him until he relented."

"Oh, so it was _you_ who taught Christian that little trick..."

"Did he do it to you too?"

"Yes he did. Thanks for that..." Tasha, Lissa and I got on like a house on fire and we all danced the next few hours away.

"Mason, I'd hate you to think that you need to stick with us, I'm sure you'd rather be elsewhere... You know, guy talk..." I said giving him a look of... '_piss off'_....

"No, not really. I'm finding this conversation rather enlightening actually." I knew what that meant; he was gathering all the info he could get his hands on as ammo.

But soon enough, Kirova put an end to the dance and Tasha said her goodnights.

"Rose, will you and the Princess escort the female Moroi to their dorms please?" Alberta asked. We both nodded. "I still can't believe you said that Mason..." she shook her head and started giggling again as she walked away to organise more escorts for the other students.

_Neither can I... I'm going to have to wreak revenge on him, you know that don't you Liss._

_I have no doubt you will Rose. _

_You'll have to help me think up something...appropriate, fitting....apt! _I said as I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

_Rose, deviousness is __your__ forte, not mine. _That was true.

_Liss, you're just as devious as me, don't you dare try to deny it. _

Just then I became aware of a familiar scent next to me. I glanced up into the smiling eyes of Dimitri. "I just wanted to say thank you for the dance, we'll have to do it again some time."

"Play your cards right and you never know how soon you'll be dancing to a different song." I said just loud enough for him to hear.

"Oh really? Well, just so you know, my favourite dance is the tangle...oh, sorry, the Tango!" My eyes bugged and I quickly glanced around to make sure that no-one was close enough to have overheard what he'd just said. He gave a low chuckle and walked off ahead of us.

_I'm glad to see you didn't hold it against him Rose. I nearly had to compel him to calm down out there before..._

_Liss, there was a time in my life when I probably wouldn't have calmed down so quickly, but we only have one life... well...two if you happen to be me, and I realised that he meant more to me than my anger. No contest really, I need hi...I love him... _I could feel her happiness through the bond, but there was something else there too, something she was blocking from me.

We finally got to the female Moroi dorm and got everyone accounted for and settled in, and by the time we got back to Lissa's room, we were exhausted. I'd just realised that I hadn't seen Adrian after our dance when Liss piped up.

"That's because he was dealing with his sister." Sometimes our minds were so attuned to one another, random thoughts and inner musings often felt like our own or we'd think that the other had spoken aloud when in fact we hadn't. Most people around here were used to it, but we'd still get odd looks from time to time... Especially when I'd answer Liss aloud and she wasn't anywhere near me... "He was furious with her..." she said when she saw how confused I was. Once we'd showered and changed for bed, we sat side by side on Lissa's bed and talked about what had happened, she showed me the 'confrontation' with Hope and Dimitri's increasing panic as he tried to find me... And with her help, I showed her our conversation about 'giving everything up'. I felt it through the bond when she became too tired to keep talking so we said our goodnights and I went to my room.

I sighed deeply as I snuggled into my feather quilt and quickly fell into oblivion, but it wasn't long before I found myself walking along an all too familiar beach...

"Can't we go somewhere else one night Adrian?" I asked. I heard him laugh behind me so I turned around and looked into his troubled eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Little Dhampir. She had no right to do that."

"It's not your fault Adrian. But you're right, she shouldn't have done that. But...I'm not the one who deserves the apology."

"Oh, don't worry, she'll be apologising to him in the morning."

"Why did she do it?"

"She doesn't know about you and him, but you know Hope, she's not one to enjoy the single life for too long." I smiled at that...

"Hmm, that must be a genetic fault in your family..." He narrowed his eyes at me, but he grinned at me anyway...

"_Anyway_..." he said ignoring my last comment. "She's lonely and...they really did get on well when they were younger. She thought that if she could remind him of what they had, that he would want her back." I thought I'd let him know what Dimitri had told me earlier.

"Dimitri wants to have witnesses when he tells her that he doesn't want a relationship with her. He thinks that will ensure that she won't try it again. Do you think she will?"

"No, she won't." He sounded so sure...

"How can you be so sure?"

"She may be fairly strong in compulsion, but _I'm_ stronger. Let's just say that if she _does_ try to compel him again, then she'll get a rather painful headache." I had no idea what he was talking about and it must have shown on my face. "I did a little compulsion of my own; I made it so that if she tries to compel Dimitri again, all that will happen is a _bad_ headache for her troubles."

"Thank you Adrian." I said sincerely. He walked up to me and put his arm around my waist and we walked along the sand.

"You're welcome lover. Oh, by the way... He's a very good dancer isn't he...aren't you glad that I got you those lessons now."

"I didn't realise you saw us." I said.

"Yeah well, I couldn't _not _see you two... Your aura's lit up the gym like the Aurora Borealis. You know, I'm rather jealous that you never glowed like that for me, but I'm glad that you've found someone that makes you glow like that. By the way, what were you all laughing about before? I laughed as I remembered it and then recounted it to Adrian. My re-telling of what happened had the same effect on Adrian as it did on Christian at the time, and once he stopped laughing, he left me to my slumber. "Good night Little Dhampir, sweet dreams." He winked as he and the beach faded to blackness...

When I woke the next morning to Lissa's face mere inches from my own.

"About bloody time Sleeping Beauty. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Good morning to you too Sugar Plum." I glanced to my right where my now dead alarm clock sat. "Oh Shit! What's the time?"

"Ten past five."

"Shit, shit, shit!"I jumped out of bed and sprinted to my bathroom, I was supposed to be at the gym ten minutes ago.

"Normally when I wake up, I don't hear you mumbling on the other side of the door."

"What do you mean?" I asked from the bathroom.

"Well you're normally gone before I wake. This morning, I heard you talking in here so I came to see why and found you dreaming. Wanna know who you were dreaming about?"

"I already know who I was dreaming about Liss." I said as I ran to my closet. I grabbed the first set of shorts and bra top my hands landed on and put them on. "I've got to go Liss, thanks for waking me." I gave her one last smile as I took off out of my room. I think I made it to the gym in record time, hoping that he was late for once. But no... he wasn't. He was sitting at the desk with a book in his hands.

"What ya reading Comrade." I saw the smile reach his eyes before he looked up at me and take in my appearance.

"A book. You should try it some time. Takes patience to sit and read a novel."

"Are you saying I have no patience?" He took out a bookmark from the rear of the book and put it in where he was reading and then stood up.

"I'm not continuing this line of conversation; I can see myself getting into trouble." He said smiling as walked over to me. "Good morning." He said when he stopped in front of me.

"Good morning." I can't believe what this man does to me. A simple good morning sends my pulse into overdrive. I can barely remember what I did with my life before he walked into it. He slowly bent forward stopping an inch away from my face and then lifted one eyebrow. His scent was intoxicating and before I knew it, my arms were around his neck and my lips attached to his. As we broke apart, I realised that I was in his arms and my feet were off the ground.

"I love you Roza and I can't wait for the morning that I open my eyes and the first thing I see is you." That was probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. I could stay here forever but we needed to start training, but when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't help it; I gave him another last kiss.

"Twenty laps, see if you can do it in less than fifteen minutes." He let me down and he smiled.

"See you in less than fifteen teach." He pushed the door open and took off.

**Hope's Point of View.**

I pulled Dimitri back to the gym after getting caught by Rose... Ugh! I can't stand her. I seriously don't know what my brother sees in her. The way he pines over her, it's just pathetic really. Mother is finally getting annoyed by his continued infatuation with her too; she wants him married so that Aunt Tatiana can name him the next ruler. The Ivashkov's have been the ruling family of our kind for nearly 1000 years and he's the only direct male descendant left, and if he doesn't get married soon, then she's going to start looking to me! And _that_ can't happen. _I_ don't want to be queen... I like my life just the way it is thank you very much! We just got to the door when it suddenly swung open.

".....or she's unconscious." Princess Vasilisa said as she came out of the gym. My brother had her by the arm but they both looked worried. I saw the princess look down to where I was holding Dimitri's hand and then up at him... _shit..._ _she's going to see his eyes_... She turned to look at my brother who was looking at me really weirdly.

"Hope, what were you doing outside?" Adrian asked me. His eyes were so questioning, how could he? He knew I wanted him back...

"We were just getting re-acquainted, weren't we Dimitri?"

"Hope, can you tell me why you used compulsion on him?" Lissa piped up. How did _she_ know? Oh, that's right, she's like Adrian....

Adrian looked at me and then at Dimitri, I could see he was looking at Dimitri's aura and when he looked back to me, I could tell he knew what I'd done to him. He'd told me once that when people are under the effect of compulsion, their aura's go all pale and stuff, so I knew that he knew... I just wasn't expecting such a harsh reaction. He grabbed me hard by my arm... nowI was going to have an ugly bruise there... He pulled at me so hard that I lost my grip on Dimitri's hand and once I did I could see him starting to come around.

"What have you done?" Adrian said in a growl. Why is he so upset, it's not like he hasn't done this before...

"I want him back." I said to him...

"What's going on?" Dimitri asked beside me.

"Liss take him and go find her." Adrian said and I watched them run off. I couldn't believe that he just did that!

"What... Why did you do that?" I yelled at him.

"You are unbelievable Hope. Why did I do that? Why did you compel him?"

"You know why... You've done it yourself. It only takes a few hours of being compelled over and over to change someone's feelings." Our voices were now getting louder and louder.

"_Why_ do you want him?" I widened my eyes at his stupid question...

"Why would I _not_! Why would _any_ female _not_ want him? You wouldn't understand."

"I understand more than you know Hope. But you would never be happy knowing that he was only with you because of compulsion."

"Yes I would. I was before." His face fell in shock... I nearly laughed at his expression and I would have had I not been so mad at him.

"So, you plan on compelling him into loving you... then what? Compel him into proposing to you too?" Now was my turn to be shocked.

"What? Why would I do that? He's only a Dhampir... no matter how gorgeous he is, I would never marry a...dhampir, even if his name is Dimitri Belikov. Just because your expectations are that low, doesn't mean mine are." Now he was getting mad. The grip he had on my arm increased and I winced in pain. "Adrian, let me go, you're hurting me." He ignored me as he walked off, dragging me behind him to the front of the gym building. I was gathering that he was taking me back to his room.

"Shut your mouth you insolent little brat." _Oh! He did not just call me that! _

"I can't _believe_ you just said that! Wait till I tell mother." I was so angry with him and I was about to yell some more but then he spun me around to face him.

"Hope...." I gasped as I saw his face. I've never seen him so angry... His eyes were no longer like emeralds; they were nearly black with rage. "_**I said....shut...your....mouth**_." I've never heard his voice like this before... for the first time in my life I was truly petrified of my brother. My vision blurred as tears welled in my eyes and I couldn't stop my chin from trembling. He turned away from me and continued walking towards the dorms and as soon as we reached his door he turned to face me again. His eyes and face had not changed and I was a little more than scared to be alone with him in his room. I didn't have any choice though, he just threw me inside. I jumped in fright as the door slammed behind me.

"Adrian..." I whispered, but I shut up again as he stood in front of me.

"I can't _believe_ you." He said through gritted teeth.

"_What_! What I said was the truth. I will _not_ marry beneath me, but that doesn't mean that I can't have _him_ in my life too. You know that everyone was just waiting for you to get _her_ out of your system. She's only a Dhampir Adrian; did you honestly think that our parents or the queen for that matter would have let it be anything other than one of your dalliances..? If you did, then you were delusional." I could still see the rage in his eyes as he bent forward and stopped inches in front of me.

As soon as he narrowed his eyes I felt myself becoming very calm.... My eyes felt quite heavy and everything around me started getting further and further away from me. The only thing near me now was my brother, and his eyes... I had to listen to him....only him.....

"You will _never_ compel Dimitri Belikov again."

"No.... never....again." I couldn't...ever....

"You will _only_ treat him with respect."

"Yes.... respect...."

"If you try to compel him at any time from this minute forward, you will experience excruciating pain in your head."

"Yes....pain....head."

I blinked and I found myself standing in the middle of Adrian's room. He was sitting on the sofa drinking straight from a bottle of vodka and a cigarette in his hand.

"That's no good for you Adrian. You need to give them up." When he looked at me I gasped... I didn't know why he was so angry; I haven't done anything he hasn't done. "You know Adrian..." I said sarcastically. "You really should get down of that high horse of yours. You're far from perfect." I had to step back when he suddenly appeared in front of me.

"I've _never _pretended that I was Hope, unlike you. And... I've _never _compelled anyone into thinking that they loved me, not even Rose. What you did, what you were going to do.... is..._disgusting_." I flinched at his words. "You are the very essence of what gives _all_ Royals a bad name; no wonder more and more Dhampirs are leaving us. Keep treating them like they're nothing more than a plaything, something to throw at a strigoi so you can save your sorry ass, and you'll soon find that Dhampir's will start to see that we're not worth protecting. _Then_ where will you be?"

"Are you finished?" I spat at him.

"Actually Hope, I'm more finished with you than you realise." I was speechless... He turned away from me and went to the door that led out to the balcony. "Leave." His voice was so cold... I stood there for a few seconds unbelieving what was happening... I loved my brother, what was I going to do if I lost him? I dropped my head and turned and opened the door. Before I left I looked at him once more, hoping he'd turn around and say it was all a joke, but he didn't... I walked out into the hallway and shut the door, anger quickly rising in me.... _SHE_ did this to him.... _SHE _made him love Dhampirs.... I going to have to teach _her _a lesson she'll _never_ forget. I warned her once not to mess with me... Now she's going to find out just how mean I can be, and I _am_ going to get Dimitri back, but first I needed to know who he _thought_ he loved and get rid of her....

I walked back downstairs and went back to the dance, if my brother thinks he's going to ruin my life then he's got another thing coming... I walked back inside the gym and looked around to see if I could find Dimitri, but he was nowhere to be seen. I saw Trudy and Mia and went over to see if they'd seen him but they hadn't. A few guys asked me to dance so I thought _what better way to forget Adrian than that!...._ I excused myself from the Moroi in front of me as I was starting to hot from dancing and there was no way in hell I was going to get all sweaty, so I went back to Trudy and Mia and went for a drink. It wasn't long before I saw Lissa come inside with a guardian, but I was confused as to where Dimitri was, after all, he did leave with her.

"Hope..." Eric Badica stood in all his gorgeous glory in front of me; he really was quite good looking, sandy blonde hair and intense hazel eyes... "Would you honour me with this dance?" I smiled as I took his hand and he led me out to the dance floor, he was a good dancer too...hgh! Who would have known...? Once the song was finished I walked back to my friends and was pleased to see Dimitri amongst the crowd. I started to walk over to him when the DJ started talking....

"Alright then... How is everyone enjoying the dance tonight?" he yelled through the mic. Everyone yelled and cheered, well everyone but me.... "How about something a little different? I've had a request for a teacher/student dance." _How boring.... what sort of loser would request that! _A few teachers and guardians were dragged out to the floor by over eager students and I was surprised to see Princess Vasilisa come out with that Ozera kid that Dimitri ran away with, he was another one I had to wreak revenge on... we wouldn't be in this mess if they hadn't run off... Then I was stunned to see _her_ dragging Dimitri to the dance floor. _Bitch! _

"Oh my God!" said Trudy from beside me... "I can't believe she's dancing with Dimitri."

"Why not..." Mia said. "They're good friends, she's his mentor. They're together for like, _hours_ every day!" I narrowed my eyes as I watched them. He was bent down whispering something to her and she was smiling... _Ugh!_ I really hate her.... Then they started to waltz, that was _our _dance... They just kept smiling at each other... what was with all the smiling? After a while I noticed something.... the looks that were going on between them... _Nooo, it can't be... not her! _Now I was really pissed. First my brother, then my man... she was _not_ going to get away with this! I really had to control myself, with all these bowls of punch around the room, I smiled at the picture in my mind of lifting them all above her head and drowning her in punch... Death by punch... quite fitting I thought!

"Alright twinkle toes... You've had your fun, now go report back to your friends..." I could see what she was doing... Everyone was looking at them, he had this stupid ass grin on his face and then he laughed, but I saw red when he bowed to her and kissed her hand.

"Thank you for the dance Guardian Hathaway." She nodded and turned away from him but he followed her anyway...

I couldn't stay here any longer; I had to go before I did something I couldn't hide from everyone. I made an excuse to the girls and went to bed absolutely fuming; I was going to have to plan my revenge so I knew I wasn't going to sleep tonight. When the sun started to rise, I decided to go see if my suspicions were correct, so I got up and made my way downstairs. I had on my coat and pulled the hood up so that I could get to the gym without the sun affecting me too much and as I reached the doors I peeked through the glass window and saw red! She had her back to me and they were standing close; Dimitri was bent down so that their faces were only inches apart. I could tell he didn't say anything to her, but I saw his eyebrow lift, then she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and then they kissed. I'd seen enough...

Time for operation Destroy Rose!


	30. Chapter 29

**Well, finally I have it right... :-) I knew how I wanted this chapter to go, but I just couldn't get it right... but here 'tis!  
Thank you all so very much for all of your reviews, you guys are just the best!  
I hope you all like this chapter, it's a fairly good length...**

**Oh, btw... I'm finished with my temp job, so I should be able to get more typed up and in a faster timeframe! Woo Hoo!!! :-)**

**Anyway... on with the story!**

* * *

**Twenty Nine.**

**Hope's point of View.**

Okay, well... I need to take Rose out of the picture. Unfortunately I can't hurt her but I _can_ get her thrown out of our society.... Now how do I accomplish that and keep my hands clean? I could just call my aunt and tell her about their relationship, Rose would be fired, made to leave _and_ she'd be stripped of her guardian status... Hmm, I like that option, but then I'd run the risk of him getting thrown out too and I can't have that happen....plus Adrian would just ask Aunty where she got her information and then he'd hate me even more than he does now.I know.... I'll type up a note and slip it under Guardian Petrov's door anonymously. She'd be furious that her precious 'do-no-wrong' _Rosemarie_ would do such a thing. So, I walked over to the library and found a computer, not that hard at this time of the morning. I couldn't do it in my own handwriting so I typed up the short note and printed it out. I walked over to the commons and casually looked through the glass; there was Guardian Petrov...eating breakfast. _Excellent_! I ran around to the building where her office was located and walked through the front door.

"Good morning Lady Ivashkov, can I help you?" The Moroi woman sitting behind the desk was just way too cheery for this early in the morning.

"No thank you." I said as I looked deeply into her eyes. "I have to go inside for a minute and then I'll be back. Once I've left here, you won't remember that I was here alright?"

"Yes..." I smiled at how easy compulsion becoming for me. It was strange for it to be this strong in someone other than a spirit user; Adrian of course was the only one stronger than me in our family. I quickly ran down to Petrov's office and slipped the note under her door. I came back outside and nodded to the woman at the desk before walking out and going to get something to eat. Once I got there, I found Trudy and Mia sitting at our normal table, now to wait for the fireworks. _She_ came in not long after and sat with Vasilisa, those two guardian friends of hers and my brother. It made me so angry how she had all of the males fawning all over her, hanging on her every word. I wish I could be there when it all blows up in her smug face.

"You're in a good mood this morning Hope." Trudy said as she picked at her apple, Mia was swirling her spoon around in the yoghurt in front of her, obviously they'd already fed. _If only you knew... _I thought to myself.

"Yeah, I feel as though today is going to be a good day Trudy, I can feel it in my bones." I glanced over to the table that _she _was sitting at but found Vasilisa staring at me. I smiled and waved to her but she continued to just glare at me. I turned back to the girls and tried to concentrate on what they were saying but found myself visualising Rose being physically thrown out of the academy gates. It wasn't long before they both looked up to something behind me and when I turned around I was shocked to see Adrian standing there.

"Come with me Hope." He said coldly.

"I'm talking with my friends right now; I'll talk to you later." I was still angry with him, and when I turned back, my friends faces showed they were anxious, he grabbed my arm like he did last night. "Ow Adrian, let me go. What's with the grabbing?"

"Now."

"Fine." As I got up, I looked over to _her _table and saw not only _them_ looking at us, but most of the other people around us too, but I held my head up and followed him out of the commons. As we nearly got to the doors I saw Dimitri and Christian on the other side about to come in. Dimitri's eyes narrowed when he first saw me as did Christian's. "Good morning Dimitri." I said smiling as I walked through the doorway. As he walked past me, his arm hit into my side, I thought he may have broken it; he hit it with that much force, but he didn't even acknowledge that he'd done it, he just kept walking. "Ow....Dimitri?"

"Did you hear something?" Christian said to him.

"Nope."

"Hgh!" Then they went through the door.

"What are you up to?" Adrian said from behind me. I spun around to face him and even though he'd scared me last night, I was now angry and his 'mean' face had little effect on me now.

"Nothing. Why are you treating me like this? I've done nothing to you."

"You hurt my friend."

"I didn't hurt Dimitri; at no time was he in any kind of pain. And I didn't realise he was your friend, when did _that_ happen?" He said nothing, he just stared at me. "The only time you ever got mad at me was when you thought I was trying to break up you and Rose, and my actions last night didn't have anything to do with her. Did they?" I glared at him hoping he'd slip up...but he didn't.

"Hurt _one_ of my friends, you hurt them all..._and_ you hurt me. I'm watching you Hope and remember, I can see what others can't. I _know_ you're up to something so I would suggest that you stop what you're planning now before you do something you _will_ regret." The he pushed past me and walked back into the commons. I was sick of people pushing into me... I was so angry now _and_ I was thirsty, so I turned and followed him back inside. Trudy and Mia looked up at me with questioning eyes.

"I'm going to the feeders, are you coming?" I asked them. They nodded and stood up to follow me, but as we walked off I noticed that Guardian Petrov was no longer here. Showtime!

Alberta's Point of View.

"Good Morning Jacqui." I said to my receptionist. I loved seeing her first thing in the morning, she was always so happy and it put me in a good mood for the day... usually.

"Good morning Guardian Petrov. Did you have fun at the dance last night?"

"I did actually. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Has anyone come in this morning?"

"Ah..." She looked a little bewildered, like she'd forgotten something... "I don't think so. It's funny though, I feel like I've forgotten something. Oh well, it might come to me later on..." Her face brightened as she let her frustration go so I nodded to her and then walked down to my office. I opened the door and walked towards my desk. I looked out to the little garden that had been planted outside the huge glass wall that was behind my desk. I often found myself sitting there just watching the small birds and lizards that called it home; it was really relaxing sometimes. I sat down on my chair and turned around to face my computer. As I started to log on, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye...something on the floor. I stood out of my chair and went to pick it up.

_Guardian Petrov,_

_I feel that it is my duty to inform you that one of your guardians is involved in illegal activities. As I know that you adhere to the highest of standards, I know that you will tackle this terrible situation and pass the correct punishment. Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway is having an affair with one of her students. I'd rather not name him at the moment, but know that I have seen them with my own eyes. If need be, I will name the student, but I think all fault should be placed at her feet, after all, she is the teacher, she should know better._

_Concerned Citizen._

"Oh Shit!" I couldn't believe it... Who in the hell has seen them? It could be anyone... I pulled out my cell phone and called Rose.

"Hathaway." She answered.

"Rose, it's Alberta... We have a problem and I need you to come to my office. Someone knows." There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before she answered.

"On my way." Then the phone went dead. How on earth are we going to handle this...? It wasn't long before my door opened and in she came. Once the door was closed I motioned her to sit down, then I handed her the piece of paper and watched her read it. "Shit..." she whispered. "Do you know who...?"

"No I don't. Someone had slipped it under my door either after I left last night or early this morning. I only just saw it before I called you."

"What now?" She looked so lost....

"I don't know... Whoever it is that knows obviously wants something done about it but doesn't want his or her identity known; for what reason I don't know. Normally everyone around here is dying to spread a little gossip and get credit for it." Rose's eyebrows knitted together and she looked to one side in thought. Then she thought of something, I could tell by her expression. "What? Do you know who it could be?" I asked her.

"Um, I need to see about something before I say anything. How much time do you think I've got?"

"Not long. If whoever knows is watching for a reaction, then I don't think they'll wait too long before going to Kirova if they see no action from me." She nodded in understanding, but she looked so sad.

"Give me an hour, and then I'll ring you. If this..... doesn't pan out, then I'll speak to Kirova myself." I nodded and watched her walk out of my office. It's a very rare for us Dhampirs to ever find someone that we love and have that person love us back, and even less do we ever get to keep it, it broke my heart that Rose had to face this now. With everything that she has had to deal with in her life; her mother.... losing the Dragomir's; the only family she'd ever known.... losing her friend Petra in a strigoi battle.... the darkness... just to name a few. If anyone deserved a little bit of happiness it was Rose, I just couldn't think of anyone who would want to destroy that.

Rose's Point of View.

I sat at our normal table with my back to the door. Liss sat opposite me with Mason beside her on her left. Eddie was beside him at the end of the table and Adrian sat beside me.

"So did you have a good session this morning Rosie Posie?"

"I did actually, very productive." I smiled as I looked away from him and saw Lissa staring over my shoulder. _What's wrong Liss?_

_Nothing... Hope's already here, I didn't see her when we came in. I'm just keeping an eye on her. _I really didn't feel like seeing Hope's face right now and I could feel that Liss was blocking me, probably so I didn't go into her head and look anyway, so I turned to speak to Adrian. But I saw him glance at Liss and then back to where I knew Hope was. I saw his eyes narrow and realised he was looking at auras. The he jumped up and walked over to his sister. I don't think I've ever seen him so angry, especially towards Hope... I glanced behind me and saw his face as he spoke to her but turned back to see Lissa watching them intently.

"I'd love to know what he's saying to her." Mason said.

"Me too." I said with a smile. By Lissa's face I realised something must have happened so I turned around to see them walking out of the commons. I saw Dimitri and Christian on the other side of the glass door and wondered what was going to happen. I could see that she spoke to him but he didn't even look at her, he just rammed into her as he walked past and then spoke to Christian. That was not going to make her very happy.

After the guys came in and sat down with Grayson and Cassie, I could see Adrian and Hope yelling at each other and then he pushed into her like Dimitri did...oh, now she's going to be _really_ pissed... I wanted to look away; you know, take the high road and all that, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the drama! She followed him inside and then went back to her friends and spoke to them like nothing was wrong. They all got up and walked towards the feeder room. I saw her glance around the part of the room that was in front of me as she walked and then a small smile pulled at her mouth. I never took my eyes off them as they left the room and then turned to Adrian, who was now back in his seat beside me.

"Are you going to let me in on what just happened?" I asked him.

"Not right now." He said abruptly. I could see he was angry and in need of some 'help'.

"How about we get you back up to your room where you can let out all that anger." I said to him. He finally turned to me with an evil smile...

"I knew you'd crack sooner or later Little Dhampir." Eddie snorted in laughter and Mase was trying hard not to laugh with him.

"Don't be naughty or else I'll make you go by yourself, better yet, I'll get Dimitri to come too and he can pound your lily ass if you step out of line."

"Little Dhampir, if you want to try a threesome, all you have to do is ask... I'm up for anything as long as you're involved." My mouth dropped open and I slapped his arm as everyone at the table burst out laughing.

"You shit..." I smiled. Just then my cell phone rang; I opened it as I shook my head at the still smirking Moroi beside me.

"Hathaway." I said in greeting.

"Rose, it's Alberta... We have a problem and I need you to come to my office. Someone knows." My face fell as my heart rate skyrocketed. I closed my eyes and tried to compose myself. All I could think of was that I could lose everything and everyone I loved; Dimitri, Lissa, my friends...my life...

"On my way." I said. I couldn't say anything else; I didn't trust my voice or my emotions right at this moment in time. Liss instantly knew something was wrong; I was not ready for that bit of information so I didn't have time to put up my barriers.

_What's wrong Rose... _She said silently as she put her hand on my arm.

_Someone knows._.. Her eyes widened in shock.

_Who?_ I shook my head as Adrian turned me in my seat to look at me.

"What's wrong little Dhampir?" He asked concerned.

"Liss can tell you. I need to go." I stood up and then as calmly as I could, I walked to the doors of the commons. As I passed Hope's table she smiled at me and nodded.

"Good morning Rose." She said.

"Good morning Hope." I said back. Once I was out the doors, I sprinted to Alberta's office. The receptionist told me to go right in when I got there and I didn't even bother knocking once I reached her office. I opened it to see Alberta at her desk holding a letter. She motioned for me to sit down and then she gave the letter to me. I read it and my blood went cold... I felt sick... "Shit..." I whispered. "Do you know who...?"

"No I don't. Someone had slipped it under my door either after I left last night or early this morning. I only just saw it before I called you."

"What now?" I asked as I felt my heart breaking.

"I don't know... Whoever it is that knows obviously wants something done about it but doesn't want his or her identity known; for what reason I don't know. Normally everyone around here is dying to spread a little gossip and get credit for it." I thought about what she'd just said, it she was right. The Moroi are the biggest gossipers on God's green earth... This information would be like finding the lost Arc... Whoever it was, didn't want to get their hands dirty.... Then it hit me....Hope! Alberta must have seen the change in my demeanour....

"What? Do you know who it could be?" She asked.

"Um, I need to see about something before I say anything. How much time do you think I've got?"

"Not long. If whoever knows is watching for a reaction, then I don't think they'll wait too long before going to Kirova if they see no action from me." I nodded knowing that I had to see Adrian. But if I was right, this would hurt him to know that she would do this, especially after last night.

"Give me an hour, and then I'll ring you. If this..... doesn't pan out, then I'll speak to Kirova myself." She nodded and I walked out to find Adrian. Most of the students had already left the commons by the time I walked back and I could see that Adrian wasn't inside.

_Liss, do you know where Adrian is?_

_Yeah, he went back to his room a little while ago, why? Is it about....before?_

_Yes. Who's with you?_

_Mason and Eddie, but I was going to meet Christian soon._

_Okay. Did you tell Adrian yet?_

_No, not really. I said that someone knew but I didn't know the details so he'd have to wait for you. He was pretty riled up from Hope so I think he needed to drown everything out._

_I hope he's not too far gone..._

_Why?_

_I need him to do something. I'm here now Liss, I'll talk to you soon alright?_

_Okay, let me know if I can help. How bad is it?_

_Well, let's just say that by the end of the day, I may not still have a job. _

_Oh God....That's not going to happen Rose. I won't let it._

_There may not be anything you can do Liss. If I can't find out who it is that knows, then they could go to the queen before anything can be done.... I'll talk to you soon._

_Alright, bye. _I could feel her emotions through the bond, and she was nearly as heartbroken as I was....nearly. I knocked on Adrian's door and waited but he didn't answer.

"Adrian, are you in there?" I heard a banging sound, like something was being knocked over... "Adrian?" Nothing... I got concerned that something may be happening in there so I turned the doorknob but it was locked, so I did the next best thing... I kicked it in. My eyes immediately went to Adrian who was on the floor next to the broken lamp that he'd obviously knock off the table. _"Adrian...." _I whispered... I knew why he was drunk, but I really needed him, he was the only one who could get close enough to Hope to compel her into telling us the truth. If it was her that typed the letter, then I was stuffed. She'd lived with a spirit user nearly her whole life, she knew not to look at them and if I sent Liss to her, she'd know that I was onto her and we wouldn't get anywhere.

I walked over to pick him up off the floor when I noticed a gash on his forehead so I rang someone from the clinic to come get him. I had to see Dimitri, my hour was half up and I wasn't going to get out of this... Kirova was going to spit when I tell her and I need to see him before I leave.

I left before the nurses got to Adrian's room and I used my keys to get into the rear entrance of the Dhampir dorm, I made my way to his floor and knocked softly on his door.

"Hey," he said with a smile, although it soon fell when he saw my face. "What's wrong?"

"Someone knows." I said almost soundlessly. He swallowed and reached out to take my hand. He glanced either side of me and seeing no-one in the hall, he pulled me into his room.

"Who?" He said as he held my face in his hands.

"I have my suspicions, but I can't be certain." He looked at me trying to figure out who I meant and then realisation crossed his features. His eyes turned hard and his jaw clenched.

"Hope." I nodded and I heard a soft but menacing growl come from his throat. "We need to confront her."

"No. That will only confirm it and knowing her, she'll make sure it's either taped or that there's witnesses. At the moment it's only 'he says, she says'.... I have to talk to Kirova."

"No... You'll get fired. I can't lose you, not now that I finally have you."

"Well let's just see how it goes." He bent down and kissed me softly but I could feel the desperation in it none the less....

"If you go, I go..." I wanted to say no... I wanted to tell him that he should stay and graduate, but I desperately wanted him with me... forever. My hands were still in his hair from our kiss, so I pulled him back down to me and put all of my feelings into the kiss I gave him. As we broke apart, I looked into his eyes, memorising their beauty and warmth....

"I love you.... with everything in me, I love you." I quickly turned and left his room. As I walked down the stairs, I pulled out my phone and dialled Alberta.

"Alberta, can you meet me at Kirova's office please?"

"Are you sure Rose?"

"No..."


	31. Chapter 30

**Happy Easter everyone! Here's the next chapter for you all and thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews... Hope is a bit of a turd hey!**

**Enjy!**

* * *

**Thirty.**

I had no idea what I was going to say or what was going to happen once I'd said it, I just hoped that my actions or lack of self control didn't end up hurting Dimitri. I would do whatever I had to do, to ensure that he didn't lose his chance to graduate and become a guardian. The note didn't give his name and neither would I, so unless this 'person', _Hope..._ comes forward, Kirova will never know. My inner ramblings had kept the nervousness away right up until I walked around the corner and saw Alberta standing outside the main office.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked me when I got to her. My chest felt tight and every part of me was screaming to turn around and go back to bed...maybe if I started the day again, it would end up differently.

"No, I don't want to do this, but the way I see it is that I have two choices, I can ignore this and deny everything and run the risk that whoever knows has visual evidence, or I can go in there right now and take the power out of their hands and be able to keep him out of it. If I deny the letter then I blow any chance I have of keeping him safe. I won't take that chance." She took my hand and nodded to me. "What do you think she'll do?"

"I honestly don't know. She's Moroi; she may not see things as we do." I nodded and took a deep breath. Just as I was about to walk inside I heard someone call out to me.

"Hathaway!" I recognised his voice and smiled as I turned to face him.

"Mase, I can't talk right now."

"Why?" I looked to Alberta.

"I'll meet you inside." She said. I nodded and watched her until the doors closed behind her. I turned back to Mason and thought about how to start.

"What's going on?" he asked me.

"Someone knows about my...relationship with Dimitri. A letter was put under Alberta's door, whoever it was wants me punished."

"I thought I saw something between you guys when we first got here but you covered it up well. Then I thought that you were just really close friends, but then last night...when Liss told me... Well I can't blame him for falling in love with you, there wouldn't be too many males around that haven't had at least one fantasy involving you. What are you going to do?" I ignored his little comment, I didn't have time....

"I have to see Kirova, tell her... Then leave it up to her.

"Can't you just deny it?"

"No, they could have video, who knows. At the moment...whoever it is, hasn't named him and I want it to stay that way, by doing this way I can keep him out of it." He nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"You really love him...don't you?"

"Yes. With everything in me. I have to go Mase; I'll talk to you soon." I smiled at him and turned towards my fate. I walked into the foyer and Alberta stood from the chair that she was sitting in. The receptionist called Kirova and said that we were here to see her and then told us to go in. My heart rate sped up faster and faster as I got closer to her door. I took another steadying breath and put my guardian mask back on as I opened the door.

"Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Petrov. Come in, take a seat. What can I do for today?" I can't remember Kirova any different to how she looked right now, tall and statuesque, grey haired and preened within an inch of her life... She really hadn't aged very much. She sat behind her desk that was way too big for her needs and the windows behind her were open letting in the cool night air. It was a welcome relief actually as I was feeling rather flushed.

"Ellen, I have something that I need to inform you about." _Where do I start??? _

"Go on..." I don't know how long I was silent for but the more I tried to think of what to say, the more my brain shut down...

"You need to read this." Alberta said beside me. She leant forward and handed Kirova the letter. I watched her face as she read the note and my pulse thumped in my ears like a bass drum. I couldn't hear anything other than that and my stomach twisted like it had never done before... there was no changing my mind now.... Her eyes darted up to mine from the letter and she just stared at me.

"Is this true?" My voice wouldn't work; I knew that without even trying it out so I nodded abruptly instead. She continued to stare and then she pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought to herself. Alberta's hand came and touched my forearm in reassurance before going back to her lap. "How far has it gone?" _Oh shit...._

"Um..." I took a deep breath and forced myself to be the badass I was... "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. This note says you are having an affair.... How far?"

"We've been together." Her eyes narrowed at me as she processed that bit of info.

"Who started it?"

"Is that really relevant?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know really know how to answer that."

"Try." Her voice was cold, so I knew she'd never understand. This was not going to end well for me, so I may as well let it all out...."

"The attraction was there for us _both_ from the start, things were said, he pushed for me to admit my feelings, I resisted.... until I couldn't anymore."

"Are you in love with him?" I was a little taken back by that question. I wasn't expecting it....

"Yes." His face flashed before my eyes at I thought of him. "Completely."

"And Dimitri feels the same way?"

"Yes..." Then I realised what she'd just said... She said his name... Panic started to rise in me; I'd just confirmed it was him.... She saw my realisation and continued. "It's not hard to figure out Rosemarie. This is only a recent issue and the only change in your 'students' is Dimitri."

"Can we leave him out of this please? He deserves to graduate, he's strong and he takes his responsibilities seriously. He'll make an excellent guardian." I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she looked at me.

"I don't know if that's possible Guardian Hathaway." _Oh no... I'm no longer Rosemarie.... _"What's happened is serious. You're a teacher, he's a student. You are in a position of authority. You should have excused yourself from the situation when you realised what was happening." She was right... all I could do was nod as I looked down. "I can't let this go unpunished, especially considering that someone at this school knows and has seen you." I looked back up at her with my guardian mask on and waited to hear her punishment. "I will have to consult the council, but I would probably take this time to collect your things if I were you, I doubt if they will be very lenient with you." I could feel the sting of tears prickling at my eyes but I would _not _let them fall, I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

"Headmistress." Alberta said. "I know what has happened here is serious, and I am not trying to diminish it in any way, but we both know that Rose is one of the best guardians we have here, and with all the strigoi attacks lately, can you not see another way? We need all the guardians we can get and to lose one as experienced and brilliant as Rose...."

"I know what you mean Alberta, I do...but...."

"Ellen, you also know as well as I do that if Rose goes, the princess will follow." Kirova looked from Alberta to me and narrowed her eyes.

"Do you think she will?" She asked me.

"More than likely. It wouldn't matter if I told her not to, she'd just follow whenever she got the chance and that would be a death sentence."

"We need her here, with Lord Ivashkov for the spirit users. The queen left my office not ten minutes before you came in, where she spoke about the success that she was seeing in that class. Apparently she spoke to Lord Ozera early this morning too and he told her about your one and only training session and how good a teacher you are." Her hand came back to her forehead and she rubbed it like she was trying to physically trying to wipe her headache out of her head. "I'm in a difficult situation Rosemarie..." _Hmm...Back to Rosemarie.... _"Alberta, can you get Mr Belikov here please." I knew it was no use to argue, as much as I wanted to I knew she'd bring him in anyway. I watched Alberta leave and then I spoke...

"Ellen, please don't punish him, he doesn't deserve it."

"Do you know who it could be, who knows?"

"I have my suspicions."

"Who?" I looked at her and wondered if I should tell her, then I thought..._why not!_

"Hope Ivashkov." Her eyes widened in surprise...

"Why would you say that?"

"Hope has hated me for a long time. She could never work out why Adrian loved me, she was jealous of the time that we spent together. They were best friends as kids and when I came along, she resented me and felt betrayed by Adrian, and the fact of me being Dhampir only made that feeling of betrayal even worse. Did you know that Dimitri and Hope had a relationship when they lived up north?" She shook her head.... "Last night at the dance, she wanted to rekindle that relationship and when he said no, she compelled him into kissing her."

"She wouldn't compel, that's illegal...she wouldn't do that." I snuffed an incredulous laugh. Why was I even bothering to explain what really happened...she would believe only the best of another Moroi, especially the queen's niece... "Sorry, continue."

"Hope isn't the little darling that she portrays herself to be. She's cold, calculating and manipulative, even for a Royal, she's bad."

"Was she the cause for your relationship break up with Adrian?"

"Yes. She compelled me to be in a certain situation when Adrian came to visit one day. Her hand was exposed though and she was caught out, but the damage was done, things were said. Anyway, now she wants Dimitri back and I'm guessing that she saw us in the gym this morning."

"What happened in the gym this morning?"

"We kissed. She would do anything to have me expelled as a teacher, as a guardian. That would ensure that I was forever out of her way." Before anymore could be said the door opened and Alberta walked in with Dimitri.

"Thank you Alberta. Have a seat Mr Belikov." Kirova said. "Quite a situation we have here isn't it."

"Not really." I turned and glared at him but he didn't look at me. "I love her. I won't apologise for that." The determination on his face made my pulse race... he was fighting for me.

"I never said you had to." I looked at her in surprise. What did she mean by that? "I've never had to deal with something like this before; normally dhampir's _know_ their duty and have enough control over their emotions not to get in so deep." I could see Dimitri's hands ball up into fists and tried to think of something to calm him down before he said something we'd both regret. But I wasn't fast enough.

"Why shouldn't we?" he shouted. "Aren't we good enough to have someone love us? Aren't we _worthy_ enough? Or is _that_ experience only worthy of a precious Moroi. After all, _they_ come first... isn't that right!" My eyes darted between a 'getting madder by the second' Kirova and an extremely pissed Russian Dhampir who's known to lose his temper from time to time.

"Dimitri." I said to him. He needed to shut up....

"What? Why is it wrong? I love you, why _shouldn't_ I be able to tell everyone? If it were Moroi in this situation, they'd just be told to keep it under wraps until graduation and then they'd be free to go ahead with their relationship if that's what they wanted and we _all_ know that's the truth." Yes it was... He looked at Kirova and continued... "I'm guessing that Rose is facing expulsion? Can you honestly tell me that if we were both Moroi and this came out, then any punishment wouldn't be much, _much_ less, if any at all?"

She pursed her lips and lowered her gaze to her desk. She knew he was right, we all did. Then she looked back at both of us. "Alright, for now I won't go to the council, but there are to be some rules. Alberta will be with you for your practices before and after classes, you are not to be alone together. I'm not saying that you have to give each other up; I can see that would be a useless demand. There is only 6 weeks before graduation, after that then I think you can decide what to do on your own. _But_....if our 'letter writer'..." she said looking at me, "comes forward and wants to know why nothing is being done, then I may have no option but to take further steps."

_Phew! That was close...._ Liss said in my head... She caught me by surprise and I let out a snort of laughter.

"Sorry..." I said to a very pissed Kirova. "Liss just said something funny..." _Go away you toad...you're going to get me in more trouble than I am already in...._

"Where is she? Does she know?" Ellen asked. I closed my eyes and slipped in to see where she was and she was just around the corner of the office building. I opened my eyes to see Kirova watching me intently.

"Yes she knows. Do you want her to come in?"

"Yes, if she wouldn't mind." Kirova said.

_I'm already on my way babe... I told you I won't let them send you away. _I smiled at her words.

"She's on her way." It wasn't long before the door opened and in came Liss.

"I'll never get used to that..." mused Alberta. "That's why sending her away would _never_ work." She said to Kirova.

"No it wouldn't. I may be the last Dragomir, but Rose and I will always be together, _always_. And I would follow her if that's what I had to do." Liss said with as much Royal authority as I heard her use in a long time. I looked up as Dimitri stood from his chair beside me.

"Princess...please, sit here." He offered and then came to stand behind me.

"Thank you Dimitri. Headmistress, I know what the rules state and as far as I'm concerned, Rose and Dimitri have done nothing wrong. They are both adults and they both have a right to love who they want and as Rose is _my _guardian, then my opinion is the _only_ opinion that matters, if anyone else has a problem with that then they'll have to _convince_ me to change my mind and we all know how successful _that_ would be."

"Does the princess know?" Kirova asked as she looked at me... I was a little confused at first, but then I realised that she was talking about Hope.

"No..." I looked over to Liss and she reached out to touch my forehead.

"Can I?" she asked, stopping before she touched me. I nodded and she put her finger on my skin. I showed her my conversation that I'd just had with Kirova concerning my least favourite Moroi. "Really? I should have known." Everyone was confused as to what had just gone on between us but only Dimitri had the guts to actually ask.

"What just happened, am I missing something?" Asked Dimitri from behind me. He was going to find out sooner or later so I nodded to Liss so that she'd show him. She reached out to Alberta at the same time and showed them both my memory and I watched Dimitri's eyes go from amazed to worried to furious as the memory went on. Before I could react, he flew out the door of the office... and I knew exactly where he was headed.

"Oh Shit!" Without saying anything I took off after him and was silently cursing the fact that I'd pushed him so hard on the track... he was so fast now I could barely keep pace with him and his long friggin legs. "Dimitri, stop...NOW!" It wasn't a request and he knew it. I saw his head turn slightly to the side when I yelled and it took a second or two for him to do it, but he did stop. "Dimitri..."

"She can't do this. I'm not a dog that she can claim ownership of and she needs to know that." We were standing in the middle of the quad at the moment, but luckily everyone was in class at the moment, but that couldn't be said for other guardians who were walking around us.

"Calm down." I said quietly and motioning to the other guardians. "There are things that you don't know, let me explain before you do something you'll regret. Please." His breathing was still fast and his expression was still as angry as hell, but he stood upright and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Explain then."

"How 'bout we go somewhere else for this discussion?"

"Here's fine."

"Alright then. She's strong in compulsion, but Adrian's stronger. He's planted...I don't know, a time bomb of sorts... in her head, that if she tries to compel you again all she'll succeed in doing is receive a whoppin' big headache for her troubles. So she can't do that again. Don't let her ruin... us. We only have six weeks till graduation and then it won't matter what she does."

"Why do we have to wait for graduation? I said I'd follow you, I meant it." I saw Alberta and Kirova standing outside the office building with Lissa watching us talk.

"I know you meant it, but you need to graduate. If ever there comes a time in the future that you need to come back, then you can. But if you don't graduate, then that option will forever be taken away from you."

"Why would I need that? I plan on being with you for the rest of my life and if our relationship is never accepted, then I won't ever need to come back....will I?"

I knew of a few reasons why.... My death, a possible break up.... anything could happen in the future. "Please, for me... It's only six weeks. And plus," I added with a grin, "I still have things to teach you."

He smiled at me and then looked over to where the others were still standing. As he looked back to me he shook his head. "I look forward to seeing what you have in store for me Roza. Six weeks huh..." I nodded and then he quickly glanced around us and kissed me. "Deal!" He went to walk away from me but I had to stop him.

"Dimitri..." I called out while waving a slip of paper at him. "You'll need this." I quickly signed the late slip and let him go back to class. One disaster averted, now to deal with the one that was still hanging over my head. I turned and walked back to Kirova and when I got there I suddenly remembered Adrian...


	32. Chapter 31

**Hi Everyone, well here's the next installment. The next few chapters have a lot happen in them, so the POV's will change  
when appropriate. This chapter is in Hope's POV so that you can get to know the rear her.... She's  
been a bit of a mystery up until now... Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and don't  
forget to review and tell me what you think or what you hope to have happen down the line... You never know, I may  
just use your ideas! ;-)**

**Enjoy... Sandy**

* * *

**Thirty One**

Hope's Point of View

I wanted to know what was happening with my little 'gift' to Guardian Petrov and I knew that I wouldn't find out anything by sitting in a classroom on the other side of campus, I had to get closer to the action, so I made out that I wasn't feeling well after breakfast and got one of the guardians to excuse me from class for the day. I made my way to the garden outside Kirova's office. It had been heavily planted with trees and shrubs to ensure that students couldn't see into her office, but it also provided the perfect cover for someone who wanted to remain unseen. I had a clear line of sight to Alberta's office from there too. Rose had left the commons only a few minutes before my 'sickness' had befallen me, so I knew that I wouldn't have to wait long for the fireworks to begin. As I took a seat on a decent sized rock, I saw my brother jogging from the commons towards his building...probably to drown out his anger, I've never seen him so mad before, but I knew how he dealt with it, a night with Stolly, Jack or Johnny... oh well, I know that he'll be happy once it's over between _them..._ she'll be all alone and in need of comfort; comfort that I know he'd be more than willing to provide. As much as I didn't want her with Adrian either, it was a better option than her with Dimitri.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in Alberta's office right at this moment... to see Rose's face as she realised that her dirty little secret was out, to hear the names she would be called too... _Oh well, I'll just have to be content with the fallout instead._ I thought to myself as a smile stretched across my face. While waiting for some action to come from Alberta's office, I remembered the look on Rose's face as she was leaving the commons. Normally she held onto her guardian mask quite well, but this time.... not so well! She looked like she was about to hurl... I let out a little giggle as I remembered her face.

I was starting to get a little frustrated by the lack of my much anticipated fireworks when Rose finally came from seeing Alberta, she had a quick scan of the area before walking towards the commons; I couldn't work out why she was there. Once she got there she had a quick look through the glass doors and then turned around again, she was obviously looking for someone... She started walking towards Adrian's building and I realised it must have been him who she was looking for, she'd probably worked out that it was me who'd written the note.... She stopped walking for a second and closed her eyes, like she was trying to hear something... but then she continued on her way. The door closed behind her as she walked into Adrian's building and she disappeared. I got a little antsy when after twenty minutes or so she still hadn't come back out, _what were they talking about?_ Then I saw medical staff running from the clinic towards his building and I became worried that something might have happened, maybe Rose wanted him to do something to me and he said no, so she hurt him.... no matter what had happened in the last 24 hours between us, I loved him and didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

The medical staff didn't come down for about another ten minutes with Adrian on a stretcher...but no Rose. _Where in the __hell __did she go? _I knew it wouldn't be long before she'd have to be brought to Kirova's, so I thought I'd just sit and wait. It was only a matter of a few minutes when I saw her come out of the Dhampir dorm... _How did she get there? I didn't see her go in and I know, cause I kept watch.... _She had just hung up the phone as she walked out of the building and then looked all around her, the buildings, the trees, the classrooms... almost like she wanted to remember how it all looked. I saw Alberta come out of her office building and walk toward the front door of the reception building where I was hiding... _Yes! Here we go... _I could hear that she hadn't opened the door yet and wondered why until I heard her speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this?

"No, I don't want to do this, but the way I see it is that I have two choices, I can ignore this and deny everything and run the risk that whoever knows has visual evidence," _Oh...that would have been a great idea! Why didn't I think to record that on my phone....? _"or I can go in there right now and take the power out of their hands and be able to keep him out of it. If I deny the letter then I blow any chance I have of keeping him safe. I won't take that chance." _Huh...didn't think she'd be so selfless... _"What do you think she'll do?"

"I honestly don't know. She's Moroi; she may not see things as we do." All of a sudden my attention was pulled away by someone calling out Rose's name.

"Hathaway!" Ugh!... Should have known, another one of her 'admirers'....

"Mase, I can't talk right now."

"Why?" I couldn't see them now as they were standing around the corner from where I was sitting, but I could still hear them.

"I'll meet you inside." Rose said...

"What's going on?" Mason said curiously.

"Someone knows about my...relationship with Dimitri. A letter was put under Alberta's door, whoever it was wants me punished." _You bet your sweet ass I do... man stealer...._

"I thought I saw something between you guys when we first got here but you covered it up well." _Mmm...He knew all the time and did nothing to stop her? _"Then I thought that you were just really close friends, but then last night...when Liss told me... Well I can't blame him for falling in love with you; there wouldn't be too many males around here that haven't had at least one fantasy involving you. What are you going to do?" I couldn't believe it... the princess knows too but hasn't put a stop to it either....

"I have to see Kirova, tell her... Then leave it up to her." _Excellent!_

"Can't you just deny it?"

"No, they could have video, who knows. At the moment...whoever it is, hasn't named him and I want it to stay that way, by doing it this way I can keep him out of it."

"You really love him...don't you?"

"Yes. With everything in me. I have to go Mase; I'll talk to you soon." _Ugh... she makes me sick! She wouldn't know what love is... _It was only a couple of minutes before I saw Kirova's door open and I thanked God that she decided to open her windows this morning, at least now I could just sit back and enjoy the show without having to strain to hear what was going on. I was surprised to see Rose's face as stoic as always...

"Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Petrov. Come in, take a seat. What can I do for you today?" My heart rate increased in anticipation of the coming conversation... finally I could be that fly on the wall... front row seat in the destruction of Rose Hathaway... thorn in my side.

"Ellen, I have something that I need to inform you about."

"Go on..." The look on her face was....petrified; I quickly remembered my phone and turned on the camera feature so I could keep this moment as a keepsake of the best day of my life... _Click..._ I almost laughed when I saw the photo...

"You need to read this." Alberta said... _Ah....my note! _Oh how I wished that I could see Kirova's face as she read it... Oh well, Rose's would have to do...

"Is this true?" _You bet it is... _Rose was speechless, but it didn't matter, her face said what her voice couldn't...

"How far has it gone?" _That _thought hadn't even crossed my mind, I'd love to know the answer, although how far could a cold fish like her go with a hot man like Dimitri...

"Um... What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. This note says you are having an affair.... How far?"

"We've been together." My mouth dropped... _together? As in...together, together... no... _My world stopped for a minute as I collected my thoughts. Thank God I was sitting down when I heard that or I would have fallen to the ground. They can't have gone _that _far...could they? Oh...he just needed to get his frustrations out, that's all. Once my world stopped spinning I took a calming breath and focused on what was going on inside.

"The attraction was there for us _both_ from the start, things were said, he pushed for me to admit my feelings, I resisted.... until I couldn't anymore." _You're just a blood whore; I know your version of resisting...._

"Are you in love with him?" _Of course not...she doesn't know the meaning of the word._

"Yes, completely." I shook my head in disgust. _Yeah right!_

"And Dimitri feels the same way?"

"Yes..." _Bullshit! _Her face suddenly changed to shock and then I realised what had just happened. Kirova knew who she'd been involved with... Oh crap! This is exactly what I didn't want to have happen, now he's going to get dragged into it all. All because she couldn't keep her legs closed...

"It's not hard to figure out Rosemarie. This is only a recent issue and the only change in your 'students' is Dimitri."

"Can we leave him out of this please? He deserves to graduate, he's strong and he takes his responsibilities seriously. He'll make an excellent guardian." _Yes... MY guardian. I'll make sure of it._

"I don't know if that's possible Guardian Hathaway. What's happened is serious. You're a teacher, he's a student. You are in a position of authority. You should have excused yourself from the situation when you realised what was happening." _Exactly... you tell her Kirova. _"I can't let this go unpunished, especially considering that someone at this school knows and has seen you." _Oh...here it comes.... _"I will have to consult the council, but I would probably take this time to collect your things if I were you, I doubt if they will be very lenient with you." _OH YES!!! WOO-FRIGGIN-HOO!!! _I almost started doing a little jig in the garden, I was about to bust out of my skin in excitement... this was _great!_

"Headmistress." Alberta said. "I know what has happened here is serious, and I'm not trying to diminish it in any way, but we both know that Rose is one of the best guardians we have here, and with all the strigoi attacks lately, can you not see another way? We need all the guardians we can get and to lose one as experienced and brilliant as Rose...." pfft_, brilliant my ass!_

"I know what you mean Alberta, I do...but...."

"Ellen, you also know as well as I do that if Rose goes, the princess will follow." _And...._

"Do you think she will?" _Hang on...what's going on here? _Kirova sounded like she was changing her mind... she better not be.

"More than likely. It wouldn't matter if I told her not to, she'd just follow whenever she got the chance and that would be a death sentence." _Gees...arrogant much!_

"We need her here, with Lord Ivashkov for the spirit users. The queen left my office not ten minutes before you came in, where she spoke about the success that she was seeing in that class. Apparently she spoke to Lord Ozera early this morning too and he told her about your one and only training session and how good a teacher you are." _Aunty is still here... if this keeps going in the direction that I'm suspecting it is, then I will be seeing my aunt sooner than I'd planned._ "I'm in a difficult situation Rosemarie. Alberta, can you get Mr Belikov here please." Oh.... I watched Alberta leave and then they started talking again.

"Ellen, please don't punish him, he doesn't deserve it." _Should have thought of that before blood whore...._

"Do you know who it could be; who knows?"

"I have my suspicions."

"Who?" I wondered if she'd name me, after all, she had no proof.

"Hope Ivashkov." _Bitch...._

"Why would you say that?"

"Hope has hated me for a long time. She could never work out why Adrian loved me, she was jealous of the time that we spent together." _I was not jealous..... _"They were best friends as kids and when I came along, she resented me and felt betrayed by Adrian, and the fact of me being Dhampir only made that feeling of betrayal even worse. Did you know that Dimitri and Hope had a relationship when they lived up north?" _Adrian...he told her? _"Last night at the dance, she wanted to rekindle that relationship and when he said no, she compelled him into kissing her."

"She wouldn't compel, that's illegal...she wouldn't do that." I smiled at her ignorance.... "Sorry, continue."

"Hope isn't the little darling that she portrays herself to be. She's cold, calculating and manipulative, even for a Royal, she's bad." My mouth dropped open again... _'Cold'...? I'm not cold..._

"Was she the cause for your relationship break up with Adrian?"

"Yes. She compelled me to be in a certain situation when Adrian came to visit one day." I smiled as I remembered that day... I remembered Adrian talking about her reputation she had in the academy and her 'dalliances' with Jesse Zeklos, so I sent Jesse a note making out that she wanted to hook up with him again. I compelled one of Adrian's guardians to mention that Rose was spending the day alone in her apartment at Court, knowing that Adrian would rush over...which he did. But before Zeklos got there, I went to Rose in the spirit of a truce, but instead I used compulsion to make her think she was seeing Adrian when Zeklos turned up and that she wanted to make love to him as well. That was another front row seat to a 'Rose disaster day'... I was sorry that Adrian got hurt, but the things he said to her that day were worth it... I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts by Kirova's voice.

"What happened in the gym this morning?"

"We kissed. She would do anything to have me expelled as a teacher, as a guardian. That would ensure that I was forever out of her way." _You've got that right Bitch... _I could see Kirova shaking her head and Rose looked pissed. Just then the door opened and in walked Alberta and Dimitri.

"Thank you Alberta. Have a seat Mr Belikov. Quite a situation we have here isn't it."

"Not really. I love her. I won't apologise for that." WHAT THE FU.... _He didn't just say that....did he?_

"I never said you had to. I've never had to deal with something like this before; normally dhampir's _know_ their duty and have enough control over their emotions not to get in so deep." _Well some Dhampir's know their duty... Rose on the other hand.... _I could tell that Dimitri was getting angry and so did Rose but before she could say anything to him, he started shouting at Kirova. _There's that temper I knew was in him..._

"Why shouldn't we? Aren't we good enough to have someone love us? Aren't we _worthy_ enough? Or is _that_ experience only worthy of a precious Moroi. After all, _they_ come first... isn't that right!"

"Dimitri." Rose said in her 'guardian' voice...

"What? Why is it wrong? I love you, why _shouldn't_ I be able to tell everyone? If it were Moroi in this situation, they'd just be told to keep it under wraps until graduation and then they'd be free to go ahead with their relationship if that's what they wanted and we _all_ know that's the truth." I was stunned... he really did mean what he was saying. He really did love her. "I'm guessing that Rose is facing expulsion? Can you honestly tell me that if we were both Moroi and this came out, then any punishment handed down would be much, _much_ less, if any at all?"

Kirova sat back into her chair and said nothing for a while; I too was stunned by what he'd just said but now she had no option but to punish them both. Well, that wasn't going to happen, I'll just have to go in there and change her mind later on.

"Alright, for now I won't go to the council, but there are to be some rules. Alberta will be with you for your practices before and after classes, you are not to be alone together. I'm not saying that you have to give each other up; I can see that would be a useless demand. There is only six weeks before graduation, after that, I think you can decide what to do on your own. _But_....if our 'letter writer'...comes forward and wants to know why nothing is being done, then I may have no option but to take further steps." _WHAT THE....? What on earth is she doing? She can't be letting her off, she can't! She's letting them stay together? Oh no...That is NOT happening. _I was so pissed off.... I couldn't believe what was happening. Kirova wasn't going to punish her at all. She was going to let it continue... Well, that's what _they_ think. I quietly snuck out of my little hidey spot and made my way to the Royal suite where my aunt was staying. If Kirova was going to be lily-livered and hide behind the 'we can't lose the Princess' argument, then I would just have to make things happen.

I made my way up to her suite and nodded to the guardian's at the door. I told them that I'd come to visit my aunt and one went inside to see if I could go in. It wasn't long before the door reopened and I saw my aunt sitting on the sofa.

"Hope darling. It's so lovely to see you. Thank you for coming to visit."

"Thank you for seeing me Aunty. I hope you are well." I sat in one of the single sofa chairs opposite to her; I wanted to keep this casual. Now, how to bring up the subject....

"Yes of course. Are you enjoying your stay here at the Academy?" _Well, that was easier than I thought it would be...here we go...._

"Ah...sort of."

"Sort of? That doesn't sound very good, what's wrong?"

"Oh, just lonely I suppose."

"I thought you'd made some friends here."

"Yeah I have, but I haven't known them for very long so.... You know." She nodded but I could tell she had no idea what I was talking about... "I _was_ happy to see that Rose was here, after all, we'd become fairly close when she was dating Adrian. But I think she's seeing someone because she's become quite secretive and distant."

"Rose Hathaway?"

"Yeah."

"Don't get too close to Rosemarie. There are a lot of _other_ people who you should be spending time with rather than her. And plus, a lot of guardians...date other guardians you know Hope. They have needs as much as the rest of us. But don't worry; I doubt that any 'friendship' she has will last for very long, they never do. Their guardian duties don't allow for them to have real relationships and if there is one thing I've learnt about Rosemarie over the years is that she's not into dating one person for very long."

"Oh, I don't think she's dating...." I hung my head and put a look on my face like I'd said something I shouldn't have...

"You don't think she dating.....Who? Keep going..."

"I shouldn't have said anything; after all, it's just a feeling."

"Hope, have you seen something? As your Aunt as well as your queen, I need to know if there is something going on that you think shouldn't be."

"I'm sure it's nothing Aunty, really. But I've just seen....looks, that she's given someone. I'm just being silly, forget I said anything." I couldn't believe how well my little act was going... she was falling for it hook, line and sinker!

"Looks? What sort of looks and who has she been directing them to?" I stared at her like I was trying to make up my mind if I should tell her or not, I added the biting of the inside of my cheeks...I found it always added to the performance. Well I _was_ going to tell her anyway, but I had to keep up the charade.

"One of the novices." Her face went whiter than normal and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "But I'm sure that I have it all wrong Aunty."

"A novice!" she said in shock. "She's.... A novice! Which novice?"

"Ah, I can't remember his name. You know guys....they think _any_ female attention is like a badge of honour. But I think I saw him give her the same look, like there was something going on between them. But as I said, I'm sure it was nothing."

"Could you point him out to me? I may have to talk to him about this." _Oh that wouldn't do... Think Hope, think.... _I stood up and walked closer to my Aunt.

"Can I sit with you Aunty?"

"Of course. Please." She motioned to the seat beside her. I took her hands in mine and then stared into her eyes and when I noticed her eyes starting to change, I spoke...

"You don't feel the need to talk to the novice; you just have to do something about Rose." She nodded in agreement so I released her from the compulsion and continued talking like nothing had happened. "What will you do if you find out that she is doing something she shouldn't be doing?"

"Well, I think we'll just have to cross that bridge when and if we come to it. But for now Hope, I think you should leave for a little while, I have something that I need to attend to."

"Certainly Aunty, I'm sorry if I said something to upset you."

"No, you did the right thing bringing this to my attention. Most of the time things like this go unseen because I am so far away. You've done nothing wrong here, so don't worry about it alright?" I gave a quick nod and smiled politely. "I _was_ going to leave later on tonight, but I think I'll be staying a little while longer, just to check that everything is as it should be. Please, if you're able to, come back and see me tonight."

"Certainly, I would love to visit you again." I bent forward and kissed her cheek before leaving with a smile on my face. _Get out of it now, Bitch..._ I said to myself as I walked down the hallway.


	33. Chapter 32

**Okay, well you all liked Hope.... NOT! :-) She's a bit of a cow hey! She's exactly what I would think a spoilt, rich, immature Royal would  
be like. Used to getting her own way without a thought of how that effects others... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this  
chapter as much. **

**Enjoy, Sandy**

* * *

**Thirty Two**

Hope's Point of View

As I sat listening to the monotonous ramblings of Mia and Trudy beside me, my mind wandered as I thought about what was soon to happen. I found myself imagining the trial...the sentencing...the jailing of Rose Hathaway; disgraced _former_ guardian to Princess Dragomir. My life with Dimitri, my protector, everything was about to become perfect...just the way I wanted it to be.

"Hello...earth to Hope...." Mia's slightly annoying girly voice pulled me out of my daydream. "Where were you just then?"

"In the future...the not too distant future." I said with a smile.

"Oh really...and what does that future entail? Do tell..." Said Trudy with a grin that could _almost_ equal one of mine.

"Happiness. A husband to provide my every wish, a hunky guardian to provide what the husband can't...."

"Do I need to guess who the hunky guardian is going to be?" Mia said with a knowing look.

"Probably not." I said as I glanced over to the table on the other side of the walkway. Dimitri was sitting with the other novices deep in thought. He was probably thinking about _her_... well he wouldn't be for much longer, soon only I would be on his mind. Just then I saw Rose and Adrian walk past the commons, neither one looked very happy; if anything Rose looked more concerned than she did in Kirova's office. I glanced over to Dimitri and he too was watching them. _Dream while you can Dimitri... soon you'll be mine. _Knowing my Aunt as I do, she wouldn't let the information that I'd just told her sit for too long. She would act swiftly. I just had to bide my time and watch it all unfold.... The rest of the lunch break went on dully; Mia and Trudy blabbered on about what they were going to do once they graduated; like I care! I sat up from my half asleep position to look at Dimitri again and was confused when I found him gone. I hadn't even noticed him leave... _man! My daydreams must have been good!_

We walked outside to go to our after lunch classes, I always looked forward to them as I got to share a class with Dimitri... _and_ it happened to be the class I was heading to. As we walked into the classroom, I noticed that Dimitri's chair was empty.

"Hgh... Wonder where Dimitri is, he's normally one step behind Christian." Trudy said beside me. I looked to the front of the class to see that Christian was actually here, so where was Dimitri?

"I'll be back in a minute girls." I said and then walked to the front of the classroom. "Hi Christian, do you know where Dimitri is?" I was quite surprised by the glare he gave me; I'd done nothing to him... "Well...?"

"Why would _his_ whereabouts be any of _your_ concern Hope?" he said.

"I'm his friend and I was _concerned_ when I didn't see him here, I thought he might be hurt or sick."

"He's fine. You have no need to be '_concerned'_ about him; he has more than enough friends who look out for him already, he doesn't _need_ or _want _you." With that he turned his head away from me and started to talk to the guy beside him. _You'll get yours Christian... _I promised silently to myself. The Ozera's were another thorn in my side. For years now I had to put up with Tasha constantly attached to my Aunt and she used that position to slowly poison her mind into allowing Moroi to fight. There was no way in hell they'd get me to do that, that's what Dhampir's were for, they were the ones bred to die – not us, if Christian wanted to put himself on the firing line...well, good riddance to bad rubbish I say.... One less Ozera for me to try and get rid of. My mind wandered as to the reasons why Dimitri never showed up for class, and none of them were good, I'd just have to wait until after school and find him.

Rose's Point of View

After I told Dimitri what Hope had done, he was furious to say the least. It was then that I realised that Hope would never let this go, she would continue until she found a way to expose our relationship. One of three things would then happen... either I would be banished or I'd be jailed....or I'd be banished or jailed _and _Dimitri would be banished along with me. I couldn't let that happen.

_Rose... Don't... _Damn, I'd forgotten to put my mental barriers ups and Liss had obviously heard what I'd just thought.

_There's no other way Liss._ _It's only six weeks. _I felt her walls go up so I couldn't see where she was or what she was thinking. I pulled out my phone and dialled her number, but she didn't answer me... I knew she wouldn't, but I had to try. Next thing I did was dial Alberta.

"Guardian Petrov."

"Alberta, can you come up to my room please? We need to talk."

"Yes certainly, is there a problem?"

"Hmm, depends on how you look at it really."

"Okay, I'll be there soon." After I hung up from her, I looked into the inquisitive eyes of the two most important men in my life.

"Whatever you're planning Little Dhampir, I don't think I like it." Dimitri's hand turned my face so that I was now looking directly into his eyes. I don't know how long we just stared at each other, but whatever he saw in my face or eyes made him break the silence.

"What are you doing?" He whispered. My heart felt like it was in a vice as I tried to keep strong for what I knew I had to do. "Don't leave me." I gasped slightly at his words, how could he know? I searched his eyes like I was trying to see into _his_ soul. I wanted to remember every single inch of him. "I can handle anything as long as we are together."

"How do you know these things? How do you know what's going on in my head?" I asked him. A beautiful, warm smile spread across his face and threatened to melt what little resolve I had left.

"I don't know. All I know is that I love you Roza, and nothing is worth losing you...nothing. Do you understand me? If you leave, I _will_ follow you... whether you want me to or not, remember; I've left an academy before...it's not that hard." I knew he would, I knew by his voice that his determination to follow me was as unwavering as Lissa's. "Promise me..."

"Why?" I asked him.

"I told you." He said as he reached his hands up around my neck. "You are my other half, my soul mate; I can no longer just walk away. We may not have a bond like you and Lissa, but a bond we have none the less. I know you can feel it too." I nodded in response. It was true, there was a bond between us, I couldn't say when if formed but I knew it was there now. Quite a few times we'd finish each other's sentences; we knew what the other was thinking or feeling without words. This was why I knew that I couldn't live without him; it was nice to know he felt the same way. He slowly brought my face to his and kissed my lips softly.

We were brought out of our reverie by someone clearing their throat and then I remembered that Adrian was in the room. I turned around and was shocked to see Adrian wasn't the only one here. Alberta, Lissa, Mason and Eddie all stood in my room.

"How long...? When...?"

"You were...distracted Rosie Posie." Mason said with a grin. I suddenly felt myself blush intensely...

_He's right Rose, we will follow you. So no more talk about leaving alright? _Liss said to me silently.

"I don't know if I can promise you that Liss." Everyone looked at Lissa and then at me waiting to be let in on our conversation. "Alberta, Hope isn't going to let her desire to see me punished rest. She's determined to have me out of the way...any way she can." Adrian and I then told the others what had gone on with the queen and they were all silent once the telling was done; each in their own thoughts. At any other time I would have laughed to see Adrian, Liss and Alberta sitting on my bed and the huge, muscle bound bodies of Mason and Eddie sprawled on the floor of my small room. I sat on the desk chair and Dimitri was now sitting on the floor with his back against my legs, taking up what little room was left.

"Is there any way that either you or the Princess could compel her into giving up this obsession she has with Dimitri?" Alberta said to Adrian. We all just turned to face her in disbelief... Compulsion was illegal, punishable by imprisonment if found out and here was Alberta, Guardian Captain of one of the most prestigious Academy's in the world, wanting us to compel a Royal Moroi; the queens niece at that.... "What?" she said shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, those were words that I would never have thought would come out of your mouth Alberta." Mason said.

"Mmm, I never thought I'd ever say them either, but I think this situation calls for it."

"Normally," Adrian started, "That wouldn't be a problem, but as much as no-one here wants to hear this, I think she really does have feelings for him; twisted as they may be....and as such, to make her forget them, it would take many, many layered compulsions to counteract them."

"What does that mean?" Eddie asked confused.

"When Hope compelled Dimitri at the dance, she'd intended to make him think he loved her..." He looked at Dimitri then like he was tossing up to say something else... "Like she did when they were younger." I felt him stiffen against my legs and he dropped his head. Everyone here knew what that meant; their relationship from years ago where Dimitri thought they actually loved one another was a lie. I put my hands on his shoulders in support and nodded to Adrian to continue. "Well, to make someone fall in love with you...or out, the person has to be compelled consistently over a period of hours, if not days.... the compulsion is never allowed to wane, it has to be kept at a high level and constant physical contact has to be kept at all times throughout the compulsion. It's extremely tiring on the Moroi but done properly, the feelings of the person being compelled are permanently altered." We all sat there stunned into silence.

"Whoa! That's serious sick man, no wonder it's illegal." Said Mason. "If she's not a spirit user, how is she strong enough to do that?"

"I don't really know, but it _is_ something that I've thought about a lot in my life. One scenario I came up with was maybe to have a spirit user as a child; the genetics of the parents have to be of a certain combination, that's why we're so rare. If that's the case then any siblings of a spirit user could potentially be spirit users themselves _or_ close to it. Hope _is_ stronger in compulsion than most Moroi, but not as strong as us." This was probably the most reasonable explanation I'd ever heard as to the sporadic appearance of spirit users. Decades, even centuries could go by without the appearance of one, maybe this is why... the right people just hadn't got together.

"Maybe there's a common ancestor." Eddie piped up. Everyone looked at him and then to Adrian and Lissa, who both shrugged their shoulders.

"We're getting off track." Said Dimitri as he sat in front of me. "We still haven't thought of a way to keep Hope from doing something else before graduation." I could hear the tension in his voice so I leant forward and kissed the side of his neck.

"I promise..." I whispered in his ear. He knew what I meant... he turned his face to me and smiled.

"I'll keep you to that." He said.

"Can't you just transfer her to another academy?" Eddie said again. In serious situations, Eddie became quiet...he took everything in and only spoke when he had something important to say. We all looked to Alberta to see if there was anything she could do.

"Not without a good reason. And plus, do you really think she'd just go...without saying something first?" Once again, the room was quiet.

"Well," I said, "it seems like we still have a problem. She won't leave nor can we make her leave. Dimitri needs to finish his training and graduate..."

"No, I don't Rose..."

"And..." I said ignoring his comment. "She's not going to be happy with anything less than me losing my job...but I'm sure she'd prefer me in jail. _I'd_ prefer not to go to jail of course." I felt instant rage roll in through the bond and it crashed into me like a tidal wave... I stood up with clenched teeth and hands.... _"Liss...don't...."_ I growled... I could tell that she was quickly going beyond my plea to stop thinking what she was thinking. The rage she felt was consuming her rapidly and I had already taken too much in a brief amount of time to be able to calm her.... Hearing my voice the four guardians jumped to their feet ready to constrain me, they'd seen this happen before. Dimitri's hands were on my shoulders and he was bending forward trying to look into my eyes.

"Rose...look at me." My body was shaking with rage and I could see Christian and Adrian trying to talk to Lissa. "Roza..."

"_Leave..."_ My voice was becoming more menacing by the second. "I don't want to hurt you..." I finally turned to look into his eyes and worry and fear flashed across his face before it was quickly replaced by the mask of a guardian.

"No... I'm not leaving you. Keep looking at me. This is the darkness...let it go. This isn't you."

"Christian, Adrian...help me take the princess outside please." Said Alberta. "Eddie.... This room is too small and someone might end up hurt." They all nodded and walked out with Eddie giving us one last glance before shutting the door. Now with them gone, my last sliver of control slipped from my grasp, all I could think of was getting my hands around Hope's throat and choking the life out of her, but I had two obstacles in my way. My arms shot up in between Dimitri's; knocking them off my shoulders and in his surprise, I landed a kick to his stomach that sent him across the room. Mason quickly responded and tried to pounce onto me; I dodged, but his fist just made contact with my shoulder. He knew that fighting me was the only way for me to release this darkness so he didn't hold back. Dimitri recovered quickly and joined Mason. I leant backwards as a fist came for my face, I don't know who it belonged to, but it was soon accompanied by legs, elbows and more fists; a few connected but most didn't. I don't know how long into the fight we got when I found myself in a vice grip. I tried to wriggle out of it but was soon thrown to the ground face first with someone's weight completely holding me down.

"_GET OFF ME!" _I yelled... No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't free myself. "I have to teach her....a lesson. Get _OFF_ me..."

"No Roza..." The voice was at my ear, I could feel the heat from his breath as he spoke.

"Have you got her?"

"Get _off _me... I have to..."

"Yeah, I've got her. Go get that looked at. Roza.... calm down."

"I have to..."

"No...you don't. This isn't you, let it go..." I knew he wouldn't let me go until I stopped fighting him, so I made my body relax. "Are you alright?" I nodded keeping my eyes closed and thinking about where I was and how many steps it would take to get to my door. Slowly I felt his weight lift from my body and I took my chance; I leapt up off the ground and grabbed the door handle but before I could open it, my body was slammed up against it. "Rose! I'm not letting you leave, so give it up." I used my weight against him by pushing against the door, for an instant his grip on me faltered but he was fast and I found myself being pulled back with him as he fell. I heard crashing but I was too interested in trying to free myself. My elbow flew backwards but instead of finding its mark, it smashed against something hard, something wooden. _Shit that hurt! _Again I found myself in a vice like grip but now my legs were being restricted too.

I twisted and writhed as I yelled and screamed, but no matter how much I fought I couldn't get free. "Rose... Hear my voice, concentrate on me..." His soft voice came from behind me, at my ear... "Please...just breathe, let it go..." I could feel myself calming... "I love you. Come back to me." My breathing slowed.... "Open your eyes." There was silence all around me, and my body relaxed with the waning of spirits darkness.

"This was a bad one.... Rose....Rose." Who was that? I opened my eyes to see Alberta looking back at me.

"Alberta? What are you doing here? Is Liss alright?" As my mind started to function once again, my thoughts came flooding back to Liss.

"To answer your questions... One... yes it's me. Two, I saw the condition of Mason when he left and then I heard smashing so I thought I'd come see if I could help; luckily I got here just in time to keep Stan from coming in. And three... Lissa's fine, we got her to calm down." Stan had seen the effects of spirits darkness in me before; he'd even been on the receiving end of one blow up about a year ago and spent the next two days in the clinic and ever since then he'd been reluctant to get involved, so it was strange to think he would get involved this time.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered. It was then that I realised that I was still being held... _Dimitri! _My eyes widened and I twisted as much as I could in his grip to look behind me. His eyes said so much, worry, love and....fear. "Oh God...Oh...Dimitri..." I closed my eyes and turned my face away from him, I couldn't stand to see fear in his eyes...

"Do you need me anymore?" Alberta asked.

"No, I think she's fine now. Thanks Guardian Petrov." I heard my door close and Dimitri turned my body in his arms, I was now lying in between his legs, chest against chest....

"Roza. Open your eyes – please." As I opened my eyes and looked into his, a tear fell onto my cheek. His hand came to my face and he wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Are you alright?" he whispered. I couldn't talk, I was so ashamed... I just nodded my head and waited for him to realise that I was just way too much hassle. "I've never been so scared; I didn't know how to help you."

"I'm so sorry... I didn't hurt you did I?" A small smile pulled at one side of his mouth.

"Just a bit, but you know I like it rough." I let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, but a smile accompanied it all the same. "That's more like it. I love your smiles. I always knew you were a badass, but _shit_.... You're friggin amazing. Why don't you fight like that in practice?"

"Well, I don't normally fight like that...ever. When I take Lissa's darkness, it's sort of like.....I've been upgraded with a turbo." He lifted his eyebrow at me and tried really hard not to laugh at my euphemism. He took my face in his hands and bent forward to kiss me.

"Well...turbo, as awesome as your fighting skills are, I don't think I want a rematch in the near future." His lips were still lightly touching mine as he spoke and his warm breath against my mouth soon banished any thoughts in my head that didn't involve him.

"Okay." I whispered back. I was about to lean in to continue my minds objective but he pulled back to look at me. I could see his thoughts mirrored my own, but he was showing more self control that I had at this moment.

"We need to go. They'll send someone to come looking for us soon, and I'd rather not have anyone _else_ have a reason to make you leave." Those words were like the cold water I needed; I nodded and lifted myself off him. I gave him my key for the rear entrance door of my building and told him I'd meet him later; I'd go out the front door, that way we wouldn't be seen together. He kissed me goodbye and walked away. I opened the doors of my building and walked out towards Alberta's office, maybe she'd know what my next move should be.

"Hello Rose." I stopped walking and closed my eyes, I pushed every emotion that bubbled away inside of me into the furtherest part of my mind, then slipped my guardian mask in place.

"Hello Hope." I said emotionlessly as I turned to face her. "You should be in class, are you ill?" I could have slapped the grin that pulled at her mouth, clean off her face.

"No, but _you're_ not looking to crash hot. What's the matter? Life not treating you well?"

"My life's fine, peachy in fact. How's yours?" Her grin got bigger as she looked to the ground.

"My life's....just....perfect, but I'm sure that it will only get better. Let's cut to the chase shall we?" Finally.... When I didn't answer she let out a small snicker and then continued on... "You and I both know that I _always_ get what I want and I really don't give a damn what I have to do to get it. You know what I want, so I'll make you a deal. Leave of your own free will and your dirty little secret will stay just that. If not, then by the end of the day, everyone here will know exactly what you are and you'll be behind bars where you belong. Your choice, think quick Rose and choose wisely..... Five, four, three, two.......one!"


	34. Chapter 33

**Okay...! I must say that I'm glad that you all LOVE Hope... ;-) She's just a treasure, isn't she! LOL Well, I wrote this chapter  
and the next quicker than I thought I would. I'll let you all in on something while I'm here.... Chapter 35 will have multiple POV's.... It'll be  
a really big chapter so as such, it will need to be seen from a few different angles... I hope you won't mind too much.  
I don't normally like doing that, but in this case, I think it's warranted.**

**Anyhoo.... I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was rather exciting to write... And thank you all so very much  
for all of your reviews, they bring a smile to my face...**

**Now.... On with the show!!!**

* * *

**Thirty Three**

Rose's Point of View.

"I will _not_ resign Hope." I said. Her beautiful face screwed up into the face of the devil before me and I could see the rage in her eyes, eyes that I _used_ to think were so much like her brothers.

"Wrong choice...._Rose_." She growled. She walked towards me menacingly and had I been anything other than a Dhampir, or me for that matter, I probably would have shrunk back in fear, but I was... _me_ and after what I've faced down in my life, Hope Ivashkov didn't even make a blip on my radar.

"Are you trying to scare me Hope? If so, I'm afraid it's not really working. I've seen scary and _that_ face....doesn't really cut it." I almost laughed when I could see her getting madder.

"You would have to be the most conceited, stuck up _bitch_ I've ever known." She said.

"Takes one to know one." That's when she got in my face and I knew that if she didn't step back soon, I was going to lose it. "If you know what's good for you Hope, you will move away from me...right....this....second. I don't know how much self control I have left." That's when I started to feel it, the feelings on compulsion. Little did she know that Liss and I had worked with this a lot over the years. She wanted to ensure that I would be immune to compulsion so with mind training and certain blocks put into my head by Liss herself, I was able to block what she was doing to me. I kept the charade up though; I had to know what she had planned for me.

"Every time Dimitri says he loves you, you will hear insincerity in his voice. Do you understand?" _Not likely...._

"Yes...." I said slowly. She gave a quick smile thinking that I was under her control.

"When he tries to touch you or kiss you, you will flinch, do you understand?"

"Yes..."

"Your feelings for him are changing, you're unsure if he is what you want anymore. Isn't that right?

"Yes..."

"You won't remember this conversation after I'm gone, but when you see Dimitri next, tell him that you think it would be best if he was with someone his own age, someone like me, got it?"

"Yes..." She smirked and looked me up and down.

"Personally I don't know what everyone finds so attractive about you." She took a deep breath and walked away. I stood straight and closed my eyes as my whole body started to shake uncontrollably.

_Rose! What's wrong? Where are you? ROSE! _Lissa could obviously feel my anger and was yelling at me but I couldn't answer her, the rage that I'd only just fought against was coming back.... not as savage as before because this was purely my own and not from spirits darkness, but it was enough to pull Liss into my mind. _I'm coming Rose, hang on...._

I knew I had to fight against my desire to kill Hope, but it was so strong.... I just needed to wait for Liss.

"Rose!" I opened my eyes and saw Mason and Eddie running to me with Liss and Adrian hot on their heels. Two strong hands gripped my shoulders tightly as I fought to control myself. "Are you alright?" Mason asked me.

"No." I growled. "She's never going to stop. I knew.... I told you all...."

"Hope?" Liss asked me. I nodded my head and she brought her finger up to my forehead. I didn't bother stopping her, she'd only find out anyway at my trial....you know, the one that I'd have after I killed the evil spawn of the devil himself. "She tried to compel you?' She half yelled in disbelief. "I can't believe she didn't realise that it wasn't working."

"Show me." Adrian said beside her. She looked into his eyes and placed her hand on the side of his face. His face crumpled in pain and then in anger. "I can't believe this is my sister. She's like a stranger...." Just then we heard a blood curdling scream, setting off our guardian instincts and Mase, Eddie and I took off in the direction that it had come from. We arrived outside the commons to find Hope on the ground, clutching her head in pure agony and Dimitri standing in front of her with an 'I didn't touch her' look on his face. I immediately knew what was happening... she'd tried to compel him again; Adrian's little surprise worked. Liss and Adrian came running up behind us and I could see by their faces they too knew what was going on.

"What's going on here?" Alberta yelled.

"AAHHH! My head! Something's.....wrong..... Help me!" Hope screamed. Alberta went to pick her up but Adrian stepped forward and grabbed his sister's head in his hands and closed his eyes. _Why is he healing her? _I said to myself.

_He has to Rose. Too many people would wonder why he wouldn't and then start asking questions. _Of course....

Her eyes opened and then she looked at her brother with hate in her eyes.

"You did this." She spat at him.... "I'm your _sister_!" She crawled backwards out of his arms; never taking her eyes of him. "You chose _her_, over me....your own sister? _Again_...." She whispered the words in incredulity and everyone that had gathered around stared between the two of them, wondering what was going on. "She's nothing but a bl..."

"_STOP_!" he yelled. Everyone took a few steps back from where they were standing with fear etched onto their faces and whispering to one another. I couldn't fully see the look on Adrian's face from where I was standing, but from everyone's fear I knew it was probably something that I didn't want to see.

"Adrian..." I said as calmly as possible.

"Do _not_....speak...of her...like that...again."

"Adrian..." I said a little louder, but he wasn't listening.

"No matter what you think of her, she is a million times better than you could _EVER_ wish to be."

"_Adrian!" _Calm wasn't getting through so my voice got louder, but still he paid no attention to me.

"You would have to be the _lowest_ of the low, the most _evil, monstrous, vile.... _piece of garbage God ever let walk this _earth_." Adrian said with hate. Hope's mouth dropped open at Adrian's words; as did those around us, and then the most pitiful sound came from it. I didn't know what was happening at first, the sound sounded like a strangled sort of cry, but then I realised it was something else. I walked closer to them and finally took a proper look at Adrian's face; it held more ferociousness and cruelty than I've ever seen in anyone's eyes before. I closed the gap between us and grabbed his face; turning it towards me... _BIG_ mistake! I was about to yell at him to hopefully snap him out of his rage, but the instant our eyes locked...whatever he was doing to Hope, was suddenly being done to me. It felt like my brain was being ripped apart from the inside. The pain was excruciating... My hands came up to my head and then I fell to the ground in an abyss of darkness.

**Lissa's Point of View.**

Well hell..... What a day _this_ turned out to be. The instant Rose looked into Adrian's eyes, pain shot through the bond from her into me. "MASON!" I yelled. "Bring Adrian _down_." The instant my words were out of my mouth, Mason had Adrian face down on the ground and his hand over his eyes; he must have worked out what Adrian was doing. I started to fall but was grabbed by Eddie, I saw Rose in Dimitri's arms and Albert had Hope in hers.

"Hurry, get them to the infirmary. Run!" Alberta yelled. I was confused as to what to do, I needed to follow Rose, but I knew that I would be the only one Adrian couldn't hurt with compulsion, therefore the only one who could stop him.

"Go Liss, I've got him." Mason said. I couldn't go just yet; I had to see if he was calming down. I nodded to Eddie and then crawled over to where Adrian was on the ground so that I could look into his eyes.

"Adrian. Look at me." His eyes were so dark green; I didn't know what was happening to him. "Adrian, calm down...please."

"I'm gonna stop you once and for all Hope..." he mumbled into the ground.

"Adrian, stop." I touched his forehead in hopes that I could see what was going on in his mind. It was a jumbled mess of emotions, he hurt so much and he wanted to make Hope feel just a portion of it. I didn't know what to do; I just closed my eyes and concentrated on reaching Adrian's mind with my own. I didn't know what I was doing exactly, I'd never even thought of doing something like this let alone actually attempting it. I became aware of his....presence...I suppose. It was more like a feeling, sort of similar to when you're in a dark room but you know someone is there with you and somehowyou also know _who _that someone is. There was no talking, just feeling... I tried to send calming thoughts from me to him; to tap into the healing magic inside of me.... sending it out to the presence I felt all around me. The turmoil that I'd felt when I started suddenly started to dissipate and I too felt calm. My eyes suddenly opened without any conscious thought on my part and I found myself looking into the familiar green eyes of my friend. "Welcome back." I whispered with a smile.

"You saved me." He said back. I glanced up to Mason and nodded to him. He slowly released Adrian and stood up. Adrian's eyes closed in exhaustion and I went to sit up, but I was too exhausted to do anything but lay where I was, then I remembered Rose....

"Mason, help me up." I said weakly. He came over and lifted me easily into his arms. "We need to get you to the clinic. Eddie, can you get Adrian?" I was faintly aware of the other guardians dispersing those that were standing around. This was not going to be able to be hidden; questions were going to have to be answered and I knew that by morning, all of our lives would be changed in one way or another.

"You need a feeder Liss." Mason said, I nodded knowing that this would be the only way I'd have enough strength to help Rose if she needed me.

"There'll be someone there at the clinic." I said as I closed my eyes to search the bond. I had to know if Rose was okay, but I couldn't reach her so she must have still been unconscious. "Quickly Mase." He nodded and it wasn't long before I was in the room with Rose, Dimitri and Alberta. Mason sat me on one of the chairs and a feeder was brought in for me. After getting the blood I needed to regain my strength, I went over to Rose's bed and sat beside her. I put my hand to her head and summoned my healing magic. It flowed easily into her body and I smiled as I realised that it was indeed working. I smiled as her eyes opened and looked directly at me.

"Liss?" I nodded in relief; at least she still knew who I was. "What happened?" she asked confused. She looked around the room and groaned. "And why in the hell am I in the bloody clinic again?" I heard laughter all around me; everyone knew that her acerbic manner meant only good things.

"Roza?" Dimitri said from behind me. She looked over my shoulder to him and smiled, that's when I realised that she was alright. I bent forward and kissed her forehead and said that I'd come back later to check on her. As I stood up from the bed and my spot was quickly filled with the other body that _needed _to know she was alright, so Alberta and I quietly left the room.

"Where is she?" I asked her once we were in the hallway; she knew who I was talking about.

"Down the hall. What happened out there Princess?"

"Let me show you, you'll understand better." I reached out and touched her arm and showed her the 'conversation' between Rose and Hope and then Adrian finding out what his sister had tried to do. "Why would she go to those lengths just to get Dimitri? I'm not saying that in a horrible way, but he's a Dhampir, they can't have a real relationship, I just don't understand."

"It wouldn't matter _what_ he was Alberta, she's fairly typical of a lot of Royal Moroi; she wants him and she'll do whatever it takes to get him. The fact that he wants Rose and not her just made her even _more_ determined to get her own way. I guess that when she found out it was Rose; it reminded her of what happened with Adrian." She nodded in thought.

"We can't hide what happened out there, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. What's going to happen now?"

"I guess the queen is going to have to be informed." That worried me no end....

"Can we tell her that it was a sibling fight and handle it internally? We only have a few weeks left before graduation."

"Well, I guess that depends on what happens to Hope." She held her left hand to direct me down to another room down the hall. When I walked in I saw Hope lying on a gurney surrounded by nurses and Dr Olendzky. They were putting wires and electrodes onto her head and chest and I wondered what was happening.

"Guardian Petrov.....Princess, I'll just be a second." She said. We waited until they were finished and the machine beside her bed started printing something out, then Dr Olendzky walked over to us.

"How is she?" Alberta asked.

"Well, that's what we're checking now. Seeing as you said it was something to do with her mind Guardian Petrov, we've hooked up an ECG to check her brain waves; this should give us some indication of any brain injury. Do you know exactly what happened?

Alberta and I looked at each other wondering if we should let her know. No matter what Hope had done, she deserved the best medical care she could get.

"Adrian and her were fighting and it got out of control..." I wasn't lying....

"I'll say...."

"Doctor, have a look at this." One of the nurses said. We followed the doctor over to the machine and waited while she looked at the printout. I had no idea what it all meant, but by the Doctors face, it wasn't good.

"Hmm, by this, there is the likelihood of brain damage." She was pointing to one of the squiggly lines but I still didn't know what it meant. "We won't know the full extent of it until she wakes up...._if_ she wakes up." I really didn't _want_ to heal her; she didn't deserve it after everything she'd done, but....

"Can I have a minute?" I said to the medical team.

"Certainly." The doctor and nurses all went to the rear of the room where they spoke to Alberta; I just hope I wouldn't regret this. I put my finger on her forehead and sent out my magic, it took a lot more effort than before as there'd been a lot more damage in her head than what had been done to Rose. Soon Hope's eyes opened, but they held no thanks for what I'd just done for her.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she hissed at me.

"Healing you, as much as you don't deserve it. I did it for Adrian, not you."

"You need not have bothered. You should have left me in my unconscious state; you have only succeeded in allowing me to fulfil my promise to Rose." I had to work really hard not to let rage fill my mind; otherwise I would do worse to her than what Adrian had done.

"_Shut....your....mouth." _I growled. "Adrian is right, you _are_ the most evil_, _monstrous_, vile.... _piece of garbage God ever let walk this earth."

"Thank you." She sneered.

"I'm letting you know Hope, that if you say one word to _anyone_, and I do mean anyone, about Rose and Dimitri," I leant forward at this moment to add weight to what I was about to say. "_I will make you __plead__ for death_. I will make you feel the most _excruciating_ pain you have ever experienced in your life. What you felt in your head before will be _nothing_ compared to what _I_ will do to you. Do you understand me?" To her credit, she didn't even flinch. "And I'll let you in on a little secret Hope, as a spirit user, I'm able to see when someone has been or is being compelled by their auras, so if you try to compel someone into 'letting the cat out of the bag', so to speak, I'll _hunt_ you down and _skin_ you alive... well, that's what it'll feel like to you." _That _made her flinch. "So make sure that you don't have to learn the hard way about _not_ pissing off a spirit user. Your choice, think quick Hope and choose wisely..... Five, four, three, two.......one!" I narrowed my eyes at her in an invitation to say something...anything, but she didn't. "Good girl."


	35. Chapter 34

**Alrighty then... Sorry for the delay guys... I've been writing Ch 35 and it was HUGE!!! I'm sorry to say that  
it was just too huge to have it all in one chapter so I've had to split it up. It ended up being 10,428 words! hehehe  
I got creative... LOL!  
So now there will be Ch 35 Part 1 - 4674 words  
and Ch 35 part 2 - 5754 words... :-)**

**Okay, thank to my beta and my dear friend Lisa A.K.A Purple An'gelic... You worked hard today! LOL...**

**Anyway... enough babble, on with the suspense! **

* * *

**Thirty Four**

Rose's Point of View

I felt myself waking and I yawned as I stretched my body out of its slumber. I laid there for a few more seconds relishing in the quiet...quiet? No, I could hear someone else breathing..... I opened my eyes to find myself staring into a pair of beautiful brown eyes that I'd grown to need more than I ever thought I would, the smile that was on his face calmed me like nothing else in my life.

"Good morning my love." He whispered.

"Good morning to you too." I smiled. He leant forward and kissed my lips softly. "Why are you here and when did you get here?"

"I'm here because I love you and I got here a few hours ago." I glanced at the clock on the bedside table behind him and saw that it was 3 pm... The sun was well and truly up and everyone would still be asleep. He reached out and pulled me on top of his body and I could feel every muscle he had under his flimsy white tank top. I rather liked waking up this way and I gathered that he liked me waking up this way too. He reached his hand up into my hair and pulled me down to his lips..._oh God.... he was going to be my undoing.... _I knew I should stop, but I just couldn't seem to do it... Things got more and more heated until neither one of us could or wanted to stop. I _definitely _loved waking up like this.

My body came alive as he touched and kissed me and all my troubles cleared from my mind for the next half hour or so.

"You're a much better alarm clock than that one over there." I said as I laid in his arms. I smiled as I heard and felt the chuckle emanating from within his chest.

"Cock-a-doodle doo!" He said while still laughing softly. "You know, I could be your alarm clock every morning, as well as your sleeping pill. Just say the word..."

"Don't tempt me..."

"Ah... you know what you've just done don't you?"

"No...What?"

"You've just given me the green light to tempt you any way I can." I tried not to smile, but I couldn't help it, I rather liked the idea of being tempted, especially by him.

"I don't want to get up." I said quietly. He took a deep breath and lifted my face up to his.

"I'd stay here all day if I could, but even I know that they'll send a search party for you before too long." I found myself just staring into his eyes then his lips, his jaw, his cheekbones... I would never get tired of oogling him. "Come on, first one to the shower gets....." That's all he needed to say and I was up and running...

"Gets what Comrade?" I said as I stood under the shower waiting for the hot water to arrive. I felt his hands wrap around me from behind and I shivered as his warm breath tickled my ears as he spoke.

"Well, seeing as you're the first one here, I guess _you're_ going to have to tell _me_..." I sort of felt a little guilty for having such a wonderful morning with everything going on....sort of.

Hope's Point of View.

It took a while for my heart rate to slow after Vasilisa left my room. I've never seen her so scary before, she really put the wind up me. Not enough to stop me in my endeavour to eliminated Rose from my life though. Hopefully it won't be long before my Aunt would step forward and tear her world apart for me. I had to know what was going on and I couldn't do that from here so I pressed the buzzer so that a nurse would come in to me.

"Lady Ivashkov, is there something that you need?"

"Yes, I wish to leave." She looked a little puzzled at first.

"Ah, I don't know if that's going to happen just yet but I'll go get the doctor for you." I nodded to her and waited for the person who could let me out of this place. It was only a matter of minutes before she arrived which was good.

"Lady Ivashkov." The doctor greeted. "I hear you wish to leave?"

"That's right. The princess healed me, so I don't see the need to be here any longer. What's the time by the way?"

"Ah, it's just past curfew. Why don't you stay here for tonight seeing as it's so late and you can go in the morning?"

"I'd rather sleep in my own bed if that's possible." She looked at me like she knew I wasn't going to give in, so she nodded to me.

"If that's what you would like. I'll just go get the paperwork together and call a guardian to take you back to your dorm." Then she turned around and left my room. By the time she'd come back, I was redressed into the clothes that I'd come in and was ready to go. "Guardian Blake will be here shortly to escort you Lady Ivashkov. I don't think you will have any problems, but here are some tablets if you should experience any headaches." She gave me a little bottle with a couple of white tablets in them and handed me some papers to sign. The guardian soon arrived and then I was soon back in my room. I would have to wait until the morning to see if anything was happening because of my visit with my aunt, and the excitement of it nearly kept me up all night....nearly. I woke with the beeping of my alarm clock and I quickly jumped into my shower and got ready for my day. As I walked down the stairs to go to breakfast, I noticed that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The Moroi who lingered in the building were talking quietly amongst themselves. I thought it was a little weird...maybe they hadn't heard yet.

I walked over to the commons and as I walked inside, everything was as it is normally.... I was suddenly getting a weird feeling that nothing _had _happened and that's why everything was normal. I saw Trudy and Mia sitting at our normal table so I went over to them.

"Good morning Hope, sleep well?" Mia asked.

"Yeah I did."

"How are you feeling this morning? I was so worried after I saw what happened between you and your brother." Okay... now I know that my Aunt has done nothing.

"I'm fine. Do you know if my Aunt is still here?"

"Yeah she is actually. She was meant to leave last night, but she heard about what happened and was worried about you. She was going to see you this morning before she leaves though apparently." I couldn't work out what was going on at first, but then it hit me...Adrian must have compelled her into forgetting what I told her; she wouldn't have let this go otherwise. Alright then, now what do I do? I sat for a while pretending that I was listening to their normal morning ramblings, when I got the answer to my question.

"Um, I haven't fed yet so I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." They both looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders as I walked away. I had a lot to do and only a short time to do it, so I had to feed first. I went into the feeder's room and signed in. Luckily most Moroi had already fed so I could just go straight in. From there I went back to the library and reprinted my letter that I'd written to Guardian Petrov, if _she_ wasn't going to pay any attention to it, my Aunt would. I had to get it to her without me having anything to do with it; I couldn't compel anyone to do it either as Lissa told me she could tell. As I walked out of the library I saw a group of Moroi students talking before classes started. I took a second to work out how I was going to achieve my next objective and once I had the answer, I started jogging towards them.

As I got beside them I '_accidently'_ dropped my library books that I had in my hands. "Oh great! I don't have time for this..." I said loud enough for them to hear. Sure as shit, one of them came over to help me. I looked up at the Moroi that had come to help me. I'd seen him in the commons before from time to time – good looks to die for, golden blonde hair...blue eyes – shame he wasn't Royal.

"Let me help you." He said kindly. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"Yeah I am." I said with my best flirty smile. "I have to see Guardian Petrov before class and I was just given a note by someone to give to the queen; which I really don't have time to get up to her quarters to give it to her."

"I'll take it for you if you'd like." He said with a smile. I smiled back but my smile was in satisfaction of an acting job worthy of an Oscar.

"Thank you, but I can't ask that of you, you'll be late for class."

"No, no... It's no trouble at all, I won't be late, don't worry." _Oh, I won't...._

"Well... alright, as long as you really don't mind. Thank you very much. What's your name?"

"You're welcome. My name is Marcus Rinaldi." _Rinaldi hey.... I wonder?_

"Hi Marcus, I'm Hope, Hope Ivashkov."

"Yeah I know." With that we stood up and he gave me the books that he was holding.

"Ah, I really have to be going... Thanks again Marcus." I said over my shoulder as I jogged away. _Shmuck!_

I was sitting in my last class before lunch, daydreaming as I stared at nothing in particular out of the window. Suddenly the phones of the guardians in the room began beeping all at once.

"Everything alright?" Asked our teacher.

"Ah yes, we've been called for a meeting Ms Conta." It was yet another of _her_ admirers, Ashford I think it was. She nodded to him and then all the guardians left bar one so I turned my head back to the window to continue my daydream. As the class finished everyone made their way towards the commons.

"Hey Hope." Trudy said from behind me. "How's your day been so far?"

"Boring... I could think of a million other things that I could be doing right now _other _than being here." She obviously thought I was being funny as she and Mia started to laugh.

"I know what you mean. So many shops....and not allowed near them!" I smiled at their silly thoughts. After all this mess is over, I too could go back to silly thoughts. How I wished that day would come soon. As we were about to go into the commons, we heard shouting coming from the administrations building. Whatever was happening... it seemed to be serious by the sounds of it. _Could it be? _I smiled to myself.

"Wow... I wonder what's going on in there? Sounds like someone's in the shit." Trudy said inquisitively. _Or the shit's hit the fan... _I thought to myself. "Should we try to get closer to see what it's all about?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's get closer Hope." Who was I to deny them their fun...?

"Alright, but if we get caught, I'll make sure they know who's idea it was." They both laughed like they thought I was joking! _Stupid girls.... _As we snuck around to the side of the building where the shouting was coming from, we found a good hiding spot so that we could listen in without being seen.

"I DON'T _CARE_ WHAT YOU WANT!" That was my Aunt yelling....

"Isn't that your Aunt, Hope?" Mia asked. I didn't want to miss anything by speaking so I just nodded my head.

"You don't get to choose what _you_ want missy! _You_ are here for one thing and one thing only. To serve and protect _US_! Do you understand?"

"Aunt, that's not fair." Of course he'd be there... I could see the girls looking at me out of the corner of my eye so I just put my finger to my lips to keep them from asking anymore questions. I had a feeling that this conversation was going to be the highlight of my life.

"And _YOU_! You've _always_ been too soft when it comes to her. You're a Moroi Adrian, a Royal Moroi at that, _and _my nephew. You can't let yourself be taken in by someone like her... You come from the most regal family in our world; you are expected to keep some decorum. I know your reputation; I know you've slept with anything that has a pulse, but to go against me ....over a _Dhampir_? I just don't understand you."

"She's not _just_ a Dhampir; she is the person who would lay down her life for you."

"That's what she's bred for Adrian, that's what they're _all_ bred for. Open your eyes boy, this is our world. They need _us_ to procreate, so it's in their best interest to protect us. Without us, they won't survive."

"Without _them, WE _won't survive. You're the one blinded here. Think about it Aunty, if we weren't around anymore, how long do you think it would take for the Dhampir's to die out? A year or a lifetime? Now on the other hand, if they were to die off how long do you think we'd last? A year or a lifetime?"

"_Enough_ of this nonsense. My decision is final. She should think herself lucky that I'm only banishing her. If it wasn't for her 'bond' she'd be flogged within an inch of her life and jailed for the rest of it. But we all know that any harm that comes to her will also hurt the princess."

"If you banish Rose, then you banish me too." _Ah, she is there.... no show without Punch._

"_WHAT_?"

"You heard me. Where Rose goes, I go. First and foremost she is my sister," I heard my Aunt snuff in disgust at that. "Second she is my best friend and lastly she is my guardian as she will always be, no matter what you do. And if I have to leave to keep her in my life, then that's what will happen." What was _with_ these people? Why would they risk their lives for _her! _Trudy and Mia were staring at me with their mouths and eyes open to their maximum. They were speechless. I was only just containing my excitement, had the girls not been here, I would have done a little jig! _Finally... _she was gone!

"And you..." I couldn't see anything from our hiding spot and I was dying to know who my Aunt was talking to now. "You know the rules as well as anyone. You are brought up with these rules told over and over..."

"Yes we are, and I'm only just seeing now, how truly twisted you are." OH NO! _DIMITRI_... "We really are nothing to you but guard dogs, aren't we. Something to be thrown in front of those who mean you harm. Well you can count me out; I'd rather protect those who would appreciate my sacrifice."

"Oh really? And who would that be? Humans...."

"If they needed my protection, yes. At least they would appreciate my help. But with the way this is heading, I would expect there to be a few Moroi who will be joining us." _Us? He's going with her? No.... he can't. Not after everything I've done to keep him with me..._

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You have no idea just how much Rose is loved Aunty. If she is banished, she is not the only one you will be sending out. _I _will be joining her." _No..._

"As will I." Said the princess... _no surprise there!_

"And you can count us out as well." It was that Ashford guy....

"_NO_ Mase... no...." _Oh, now she's trying to protect them... a little late blood whore!_

"Rose, she's not only insulted you, but every guardian that _will_ and _has_ laid their lives down for them. I will not put _my_ life on the line for people who think so little of our lives."

"Nor will I...." I had no idea who that was, but there were a few more people who said the same thing. One that surprised me the most was Guardian Petrov.

"I've spent my life in servitude." She said. "I've watched the man I loved killed and lost a child of my own because of those who don't deserve my sacrifices. No more! You have taken enough of my life; I will give you no more." I could hear crying and wondered who it was. Surely it couldn't be my Aunt...she would never let herself be seen crying.

"Fine." My Aunt said, by the sound of her voice, it was definitely not her that was crying. "Anyone who wishes to follow this....Dhampir can do so. I don't want the likes of you protecting me anyway. I expect you all to be out of this Academy within the hour."

"Hope..." Trudy whispered to me. "Let's go... if we get caught here we'll get in so much trouble." I was riveted to the spot... The realisation of what had just happened, of what I've just lost, hit me like a tonne of bricks!! Not only did I succeed in getting rid of Rose, but my brother and Dimitri too. My brother would be outside in the world...where he would be without the safety of wards; he could be killed or turned. _Oh my God... What have I done? _I've lost everyone... everyone I've ever loved, they're all gone... All because of _HER_! I'm going to _kill_ her.... Banishment is no longer what I want...it's not enough. I want her _DEAD_!


	36. Chapter 35 pt 1

**Hi Everyone. Well, here is the next installment, the first part of Chapter 35. It has multiple points of view, because they all had  
different things happen to them that lead up to the same point... You guys chose the direction of this story... :-)  
Remember??? I asked if you wanted them to go to court or not... You all said NO! So.... Here 'tis....**

**To those who _really _don't like Hope... that's good, you weren't supposed to like her! hehehe And there will be a reason  
for that too... :-) And don't worry, bad guys _never _win... and good things come to those who wait! **

**Anyway... On with the story!**

* * *

**Thirty Five**

Part one

Dimitri's Point of View

Every time I look at her, I can't believe she's mine. I thought with everything that had gone on with Hope, that she'd come to the conclusion that I complicated her life too much and she would just tell me that we could only be friends and colleagues. But here she was, in my arms again. There were times when I still had to pinch myself that my hands were actually touching her, caressing her, pleasing her. It was mornings like this that I found myself waiting for the dream to end; that I'd wake up and find myself still on the run with Christian and all this had been one big dream.

"You're a much better alarm clock that that one over there." She said with a grin. I couldn't help but chuckle at her thoughts. She was deadly, I knew that without a doubt in my mind, but she could be so playful, like now.

"Cock-a-doodle doo!" I said in my worst imitation of a rooster. "You know, I could be your alarm clock every morning, as well as your sleeping pill. Just say the word..." Oh how I wanted her to say the word...

"Don't tempt me..." I felt my eyebrow lift in surprise. For a fleeting second, I found myself hoping that she would actually do it.

"Ah... you know what you've just done don't you?"

"No...What?"

"You've just given me the green light to tempt you any way I can." I could see that she was trying to hold in a smile and I couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were going on behind those beautiful brown eyes of hers.

"I don't want to get up." She said quietly. Neither did I but I knew we had to get up. I lifted her face up so that she was looking at me.

"I'd stay here all day too if I could, but even I know that they'll send a search party for you before too long." She didn't say anything; she just looked at me with an intensity that made my heart jump. "Come on, first one to the shower gets....." I was about to say that whoever gets there first got to watch the other work out this morning, but before I could say anything, she was up and running to her bathroom.

"...Gets what Comrade?" _Oh, she didn't.... _I got up and ran over to the bathroom just in time to see her walk under the water. She didn't shut the door, so I took that as an invitation. I slipped in behind her and wrapped my arms around her, taking enormous pleasure in the softness of her skin.

"Well," I said softly against her ear, "seeing as you're the first one here, I guess _you're_ going to have to tell _me..._" She turned around in my arms and by the look in her eyes I knew I was going to enjoy this shower a _lot_!

**Rose's Point of View**

After my guilty, but extremely pleasurable morning, I left Dimitri in my room to make my way down to the gym. He was going to go back to his dorm room and get changed and then meet up with Christian for his second lesson. I couldn't help the giggle as I watched his long but graceful body slip out of my window and down the water pipe to the ground. That sight brought back a _lot_ of memories.... I'd been at the gym for about ten minutes, I'd set up the mats and dummies and then I heard the door open, I looked up and smiled as my favourite Russian walked in with one of my _least _favourite Moroi behind him.

"Laps?" he asked.

"Yup. See if you can make twenty this time."

"Your wish is my command Teach!" I didn't like being called 'teach', especially with such fresh memories of what we got up to behind closed doors. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong when I wasn't.

"Don't tell me _I _have to do twenty too, if so, I think I need to inform you that if that's the case, I won't get in any fight time...because I'll still be out there running." I smiled at the thought... it would at least give me more one on one time with Dimitri.

"Well, seeing as you're _only_ a Moroi, then I suppose you can do as many as you can in the time it takes Dimitri to do his laps." I smiled as Christian glared at me. "Chop chop... the longer you stand here ogling me, the less time you'll have to learn my awesome skills." He lifted his eyebrows as if to say, 'What the...?' but he just shook his head and turned around to start his laps. Dimitri and Christian had only been outside running for about five minutes when Stan came into the gym from the front of the building.

"Rose." He called from behind me. I turned around and was confused at the expression on his face. "Ellen needs you in her office."

"Okay.... We've only just started training but I'll be there in just under an hour."

"No. Now." His demeanour didn't look good.

"What's wrong Stan?"

"I'll wait here for Belikov and Ozera, you need to go." Whatever was up didn't look good and I suddenly got a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I quickly put up my mental barriers, I didn't want Liss to freak out and if it wasn't what I thought, then no harm, no foul. I nodded to Stan and walked out of the side gym doors that I always used and made my way to Ellen's office. As I walked into the main foyer, the receptionist glanced up to me and without saying anything to me; she picked up the phone to say that I had arrived. That feeling I had in the gym suddenly hitched up a notch.... I walked down the hallway and knocked on the door.

"Come in Rose." I heard her say. I opened the door and Ellen was sitting at her desk with a very concerned look on her face, Alberta stood in the corner to my right; her face looking apologetic. I saw movement to my left and my jaw clenched as I saw Tatiana sitting down, staring daggers at me. She was flanked by four of her personal guardians and I got a cold chill run down my spine.... I definitely got the feeling that I was about to regret waking up this morning. "Take a seat Rose." Ellen said sadly.... "Rose, our highness had a letter delivered to her this morning by a student and in that letter, certain allegations were made against you." I didn't move or take my eyes off Kirova.

"Are you or are you not having an affair with one of your students?" Tatiana growled. _Oh shit... _My pulse kicked into overdrive; the sound of it pounding in my ears. I took a breath and turned to look at her, I knew today wasn't going to end well, so why bother lying.

"No, I'm not having an affair with one of my students; I am in love with him." I swear the clock on Kirova's wall stopped ticking as time stood still. Tatiana's facial expression froze and then as my words sunk in, time restarted.

"You're...you're kidding me right? You're in..._love_...with him? A student?" I didn't know what to do or say when she started laughing. It wasn't a humorous laugh by any means; it was almost as cold as the laugh of a strigoi right before they kill you! I looked at Kirova but her eyes were downcast. "You're _delusional_... you think you _love_ him...? Who is...'him', I would love to meet the lucky man, oh sorry..._boy_." I felt like slapping her into next week, but I slipped on my guardian mask and hid behind it in silence. "Answer me Hathaway."

"It doesn't matter who he is..."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong _Miss _Hathaway." I understood her use of the word 'miss'; I was no longer a guardian. "I've already informed the council and they will be arriving within the hour to work out what to do with you." She stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. "Oh and _Miss _Hathaway, I _will_ find out who he is." Then she turned to one of her guardians. "Take her to the conference room; she's not to leave under any circumstance."

**Lissa's Point of View.**

I woke up to the beat of 'Sexy Bitch' on the radio, and it made me think of Rose... She would think it highly appropriate to wake to _that_ particular song every morning. Rose had informed me that if she had to wake up to my, how did she put it?.... 'God awful buzzing' one more time, my alarm clock would soon find itself at the bottom of the pond behind the gym block. So, I fiddled until I worked out how to make the radio come on instead. I had a quick stretch and went to my bathroom; I opened the window and stuck my head out for some fresh air when I noticed something to the right of me. I smiled when I saw Dimitri climbing down the water pipe... "Rose, Rose, Rose..." I said quietly to myself. I shuddered to think what would happen if someone else had found out; I'm pretty sure that I scared Hope off the 'Dimitri' trail. _Although.... I think I might get Mase to follow her today..._ I thought to myself.

I finished up what I had to do in the bathroom and went to get dressed for the coming day. I couldn't find my shoes though; I even looked under my bed... I'm not Rose Hathaway, I normally know where every item of clothing and footwear is... in my closet where they belong! I walked back into the bathroom and there they were... I didn't remember leaving them in here...? As I passed the window in my bathroom I saw Rose walking into the admin building. _That's weird..._ I looked at my watch and wondered why she wasn't training with Dimitri...

_Rose. Why are you going in there? Aren't you supposed to be training with the guys? _No answer... _Rose? _Still no reply so I reached out to try and see what was going on and found her blocking me. What on earth was going on? Something didn't feel right... in fact it felt damn well ominous. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and scrolled through the numbers until I got to the one I wanted.

"Hi Liss, I'm on my way, don't panic." He said sarcastically.

"Don't worry Adrian; I'm going to be the one late this morning."

"Why's that?"

"Um, I just have to check on something. Are you right with the class this morning?"

"Yeah sure. How long will you be?" he asked sceptically.

"Not sure really. I'll text you if I can't make it." There was silence for a while and I knew that he was going to start questioning me....

"What's going on Liss? And don't lie to me."

"Nothing's going on. Listen, I've got to go, talk soon..." and with that I hung up. That was probably the worst thing I could have done... Nothing got him more riled up than being hung up on...well, almost nothing... Hope certainly could. I quickly shook the thoughts from my head and walked out of my room but as I'd feared...Adrian stood outside with his arms crossed at his chest with a 'don't piss me off' look on his face.

"Well?"

"Well what?" I said innocently.

"Liss... you of all people should know not to go down that road..." I sighed and bit my lip.

"Something's up. I saw Rose going into the admin building just before." Adrian's eyebrows rose up in a questioning manner so I continued. "She was blocking me. She _should_ be practicing with Dimitri and Christian, not going to see Kirova." I saw Stan walking out of the gym and was making his way to admin as well, then the guys left walking towards the dorm buildings. "I've got a bad feeling Adrian." I said. He followed to where I was looking and I'm pretty sure he came to the same conclusion as I did.

"Let's go." He said abruptly. We walked over to the Admin block to see what was going on. As we got inside the receptionist looked up and seeing it was us, quickly looked back down to her desk. Adrian and I had both seen her wariness as we walked over to her. "Can you let Headmistress know that we wish to see her please?" Adrian asked nicely.

"Yes certainly" she said not looking up. She continued to go through some papers that really didn't look all that important.

"Well?" I said impatiently.

"I have a few things to do first, but I will let her know."

"Amanda, is there something wrong?" I asked her.

"No, nothing... Just busy, busy, busy... Take a seat, it won't be long." I looked at Adrian whose face I'm sure mirrored my own and swallowed in fear. Something was definitely wrong. I grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the chairs in the waiting room. I looked back and saw Amanda close her eyes and sigh in relief.

"They know." I whispered to him. "Somehow, someone has found out." He nodded but wasn't really looking at anything. "Did your Aunt leave last night?" Adrian looked at me and then walked back to the receptionist.

"Amanda, I was wondering if you could get a message to my Aunt. She told me that she'd like me to visit, so I thought...why wait, can you let her know that I'll be flying to Court tonight please?" Her eyes darted up to him and we could see the panic and indecision in them... okay, Tatiana did _not_ go back last night....

"Ah, I don't think she left last night Lord Ivashkov. I think she's still here, I can ring her room if you'd like?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She looked like she was waiting for him to come back over to me and when he didn't move she picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Amanda from Admin, I have Lord Ivashkov here and he wishes to speak with his Aunt, can I find out if that is possible today please?" Just then Adrian's head whipped around to look down the hallway. I walked over to where I could get a better look and saw the queen followed by three of her henchmen.

"Aunt Tatiana," he said in greeting.

"Adrian..." she said with a nod.

"I was just wondering if you'd left last night; Amanda is just ringing your room for me. I thought your business here was concluded?"

"Yes, so did I. I was too tired to leave last night for some reason and I heard about your little tiff with your sister yesterday, so I thought that I'd stay until this morning before I left, just to make sure everything was alright, but then something of the utmost importance came to my attention."

"Oh really? Nothing too serious I hope."

"Oh no Nephew... it's serious; extremely so. But nothing to get into right now."

"Will you still be leaving today then?"

"No. I'm waiting on the coun... I'm waiting on some arrivals, but I think I may be staying for another day or two." _Coun... what was she about to say? Coun... coun... council? _Dread filled me and the blood drained from my face as I realised that things...bad things, were now in motion...things that Adrian and I could not fix... The council had been called and were on their way.

_Rose...._

**Adrian's Point of View.**

I felt the darkness boil away inside my body to the point where I could no longer contain it. Hope's actions over the last few days had brought back so much pain... pain that I thought had long been buried. When I lost Rose, it was the darkest time of my life. If it hadn't been for one of my cousins taking me to Europe and being by my side 24/7, I probably wouldn't be here right now; I would have drunk myself into oblivion. And now, seeing what Lissa had just shown me... that pain that I felt when I realised that I'd lost everything because of my sister, reared its ugly head again like it had only been yesterday my heart had shattered. The pain gripped my heart and mind... When we heard the screaming, it almost didn't register, but Rose running off with the other guardians snapped me out of my thoughts.

When we finally caught up to them, I saw Hope on the ground in front of Dimitri and I knew instantly why.... she'd tried to compel him again...like I knew she would. I just looked at her and there was not one part of me that wanted to help her... I became aware of the other people standing around and I saw a couple of Moroi looking at me, probably wondering why I wasn't helping my sister. I saw Alberta walk forward and I instantly knew what I had to do, I stepped closer to my sister and put my hands on either side of her head and took away the block that I'd put in earlier.

Hope's eyes opened and locked onto mine... she knew what I had done. I'd done something similar as a prank years ago, sending little electric shocks into her feet every time she tried to put her favourite shoes on.

"You did this... I'm your _sister!_" She crawled away from me, but the anger I'd felt before was still in my body, still bubbling under the surface and I felt no remorse for her pain. "You chose _her,_ over me...your own sister? _Again..._" Her words did nothing... well not quite nothing; they actually made me angrier with her. After what she'd done to Rose, someone she knew that I loved with all my heart... how could she _not_ know I would chose her? But her next words were her undoing... "She's nothing but a bl...."

"_STOP!" _I yelled at her. I could no longer control my emotions, my tenuous grip of self control faltered and all the hate and contempt that I had for my sister right now burst out in the form of the darkest reaction I'd ever taken against another living being... I could almost taste it....

"Do _not_....speak...of her...like that...again." I growled at her through my clenched jaw... All I could see were her eyes... "No matter what you think of her, she is a million times better than you could _EVER_ wish to be. You would have to be the _lowest_ of the low, the most _evil, monstrous, vile.... _piece of garbage God ever let walk this _earth_." I reached out with my mind and found hers easily... I wanted her to feel just a portion of the pain she inflicted upon me, upon Rose... I wanted her to know how it felt to be ripped apart from the inside, to want to claw your way into your own chest and mind and dig out the parts of you that were causing so much pain... It wasn't long before I was aware of the fact that I could hear her screams, not with my ears, but with my mind... I could feel the pain I was inflicting on her and I felt satisfied...

The next thing I was aware of was this feeling of calm... It was coming from deep within my own mind, then the feeling of hot and cold, like when I'm healing with my magic. I felt the darkness within me slowly ebb away. It felt like something heavy was on me...it was hard to breathe... _Liss..._ I felt Liss... Then I knew she was with me, trying to calm me, so I easily pushed her from my mind and opened my eyes. It was only a second or two later that Lissa's eyes opened in front of my face.

"Welcome back." She whispered as she smiled. I knew what she'd done, we'd practiced going into each other's minds while awake. She healed the darkness inside me, like she does with Rose.

"You saved me." I said weakly. Using spirit the way that I'd just done, had taken nearly all of my strength. I felt the weight lift off my body, but I was exhausted and my eyes closed; when they opened again... I was in my room. I looked at my clock and was confused... _and_ starving... the clock read 5pm, but that can't be right... it was only just before lunch, wasn't it? I got up off my bed and walked over to the window and carefully pulled back the shade. The sun was on its way down, just about to touch the horizon... I couldn't work out how I'd missed the whole night? Then I remembered – _Hope_! It all came flooding back to me, the anger at what she'd done or tried to do to Rose, being firmly in the grip of darkness and directing it completely at my sister where it belonged. I had no idea what happened after Liss broke me out of it and brought me back into the land of the living, I really needed to know what happened. I knew I'd have a while to talk to Liss before class started, so I had to be early for once.

I jumped into the shower and got changed, then I had to see the feeders down the hall; I knew I wouldn't make it down to the feeder's room in the commons, I'd gone too long without blood. Luckily most, if not all Moroi were still in the land of nod at this time of morning so there was no waiting for the feeders. As I was leaving, my phone rang. "Just the person I wanted to speak to..." I said to myself with a smile...

"Hi Liss, I'm on my way, don't panic."

"Don't worry Adrian; I'm going to be the one late this morning." _Liss...Late? That's one for the record books..._

"Why's that?"

"Um, I just have to check on something. Are you right with the class this morning?"

"Yeah sure. How long will you be?" I could tell by the tone in her voice something was up....

"Not sure really. I'll text you if I can't make it." Now I _knew_ something was up...she wouldn't miss Spirit class for anything unless it was something major... I had to know what was going on before she hung up on me, so I kept walking while I was talking to her and was now in the lobby of my building, the same building I'd lived in since coming here three years ago.

"What's going on Liss? And don't lie to me."

"Nothing's going on. Listen, I've got to go, talk soon..." and then she did it, she hung up. I really hated it when people did that... And I knew that Liss would never be one of those people who hangs up on someone. I ran to the teachers building and I thought I may have missed her and she'd left her building before I'd got there, but then I saw her come down the stairs and this time, she wouldn't get rid of me so easily.

"Well?" I said as she came outside.

"Well what?" She said...

"Liss... you of all people should know not to go down _that_ road..." She let out a sigh and bit her lip in resignation...

"Something's up. I saw Rose going into the admin building just before." I couldn't understand why this would make her so anxious, anxious enough to drop class, and she obviously saw my confusion. "She was blocking me. She should be practicing with Dimitri and Christian, not going to see Kirova." As soon as she said 'blocking me', I got a cold chill... then as she spoke about not training with Dimitri and Christian, I too knew something was definitely wrong. "I've got a bad feeling Adrian." Liss said while looking over my shoulder. I turned around to see what she was looking at and saw Stan leaving the gym and then the two guys walking after him.

"Let's go." I said. I knew if Rose's relationship had been discovered, then she was going to need _our_ help. We walked over to the Admin block and as we got inside the receptionist looked up at us, but she quickly looked down. I'd seen this before, people who knew about our compulsion abilities and had something to hide, would make sure that they didn't look at us...

"Can you let Headmistress know that we wish to see her please?" I asked the receptionist as we got to her.

"Yes certainly" she still didn't look at us, instead rifled through some papers.

"Well?" Liss said.

"I have a few things to do first, but I will let her know."

"Amanda, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing... Just busy, busy, busy... Take a seat, it won't be long." Liss looked at me and we both knew what was going on and I saw Liss swallow hard. She grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the chairs in the waiting room.

"They know. Somehow, someone has found out." I could only nod as my panic at this situation spiked. I had to think of how I could help Rose. "Did your Aunt leave last night?" I looked at her and then walked back to the receptionist to see if I could find out.

"Amanda, I was wondering if you could get a message to my Aunt. She told me that she'd like me to visit, so I thought...why wait, can you let her know that I'll be flying to Court tonight please?" She looked panicked, like she didn't know what to say or do.

"Ah, I don't think she left last night Lord Ivashkov. I think she's still here, I can ring her room if you'd like?" The pieces were starting to fit together.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She didn't move at first, probably waiting for me to leave and when she realised that I wasn't going to, she picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Amanda from Admin, I have Lord Ivashkov here and he wishes to speak with his Aunt, can I find out if that is possible today please?" Before I could learn anything from her, I heard a door open from down the hall; I froze momentarily when my Aunt walked out of Kirova's room. Obviously she _didn't _leave last night.

"Aunt Tatiana," I said as nicely as I could.

"Adrian..." she said curtly.

"I was just wondering if you'd left last night; Amanda is just ringing your room for me. I thought your business here was concluded?"

"Yes, so did I. I was too tired to leave last night for some reason and I heard about your little tiff with your sister yesterday, so I thought that I'd stay until this morning before I left, just to make sure everything was alright, but then something of the utmost importance came to my attention."

"Oh really? Nothing too serious I hope."

"Oh no Nephew... it's serious; extremely so. But nothing to get into right now."

"Will you still be leaving today then?"

"No. I'm waiting on the coun... I'm waiting on some arrivals, but I think I may be staying for another day or two." I knew exactly what she'd stopped herself from saying... the Council, she'd called the council. And there was only one reason she'd do that. Rose.... She knew about Rose and I didn't need any guesses to know who tipped her off.


	37. Chapter 35 pt 2

**Hi again. Well, here's the last part of Chapter 35. I tossed up if I should do Dimitri's and Rose's points of view of what happened, but I did because there are things that I wanted you guys to know from their POV's...  
Their reactions etc... because things are set in motion now and in coming chapters you will notice more and more... things!  
I know I'm being a little criptic, but I can't say too much.  
Remember, if there is something that you'd like to see happen or if you guys would like to see the story go a certain way, don't hesitate to say so, if I can fit it in, I will....**

**Thanks again for all of your reviews, I love reading them.  
Sandy**

* * *

**Thirty Five**

Part Two

Dimitri's Point of View.

When Christian and I had finished our laps, we walked back to the gym while I teased him about his pitiful lap count... He started flicking little flames at me as we burst through the doors laughing, but we both came to a screeching halt as we saw Guardian Alto standing with his arms behind his back, in the middle of the mats.

"Guardian Alto?" I said looking around the gym.

"Belikov, Lord Ozera. Your training has been cancelled for today. Guardian Hathaway has been called to attend an important meeting." I thought it odd that she didn't tell us herself, but maybe it was something that she didn't have time to discuss. "So head up to your dorms and go get some breakfast." Christian and I looked at each other and went over to our bags. As we turned around Alto was opening the door to leave.

"That was weird." Christian said on the way out.

"Yeah... I guess we'll find out what's going on soon enough." I saw Adrian and Lissa talking outside the teachers building, they both looked tense.

"I'll meet you outside my building in ten, alright?" Christian said to me.

"I'll be there before you doofus, just don't keep me waiting too long..."

"Whatever... _doofus_!" I smiled at him as we walked off in different directions. Sure enough, I was outside the Moroi dorm before Christian, but luckily for him he didn't keep me waiting for too long. We got to the commons and made our way over to the breakfast bar. Christian had visited the feeders in the dorm before training, so at least I didn't have to wait to stuff my face. I was starving and could have eaten the leg off a horse...

"Where do you put all of that man?" Christian said with a grin.

"Don't you worry about where I put it, just be satisfied to know that it all gets worked off pleasurably."

"Oh you didn't just say that.... That's not nice you _ass_."

"Well I thought you might be happy to hear about someone's sex life considering you don't have one of your own..." With that he punched my arm; and it actually hurt! Nothing like what Rose or a strigoi could do, but it still had some force behind it. I led Christian over to a different table this morning because if Hope arrived with her leaches, I didn't want to have to deal with her and ruin my good mood.

It wasn't all that long when Trudy and Mia came in and went to get their own breakfasts. I don't know why they bothered when all they ever had was either an apple or a tub of yoghurt. The next time I looked up, Hope was sitting with them with a confused look on her face.

"So, what do you think she'll teach me after school?" Christian said pulling my attention away from my stalker.

"I don't know, maybe she'll hand you your ass again like last time." I started laughing as his hand came from under the table with a flame on the end of his finger. "Try it retard, I'd love a chance to kick your butt." Christian and I had a really great relationship. I know we were close before we left, but those two years on our own had really made us brothers rather than a Moroi and his guardian. Just then I saw Hope walking to the feeders room with what can only be described as an evil grin on her face.

Christian and I left not long after and made our way to our respective classes for the day; I knew we'd be early, but that's me... I hated being late for things. It was in the second class of the day when one of the guardians got a call in class.

"Mr Belikov, Headmistress Kirova wishes to see you in her office." I nodded and got my books together under the curious stares of the rest of the class.

"Do you know what this is about Guardian Butler?" I asked as we crossed the quad.

"No, I don't." Well _that_ was short and sweet... I was escorted straight into the headmistress' office and as soon as I walked in and saw who was in there, my blood ran cold; my eyes instantly went to Guardian Petrov; my suspicions confirmed when her eyes lowered... they knew.

"Take a seat Mr Belikov." The headmistress said. "You've been called here today because...

"Because..." the queen interrupted. "We know about your 'relationship' with _Miss_ Hathaway." _Why didn't she say 'guardian'? _I turned my attention to my left to look directly at the queen. Obviously there was no point in denying it; someone had obviously told her who I was... I'd read the note that Hope had written and I knew my name wasn't in it. I never said a word; I just kept my poker face on and looked her in the eyes. "So I'll take your silence as you knowing what I'm talking about then shall I?" She continued to talk as she walked around the room.

"I'm not so blind Mr Belikov as to not understand your 'attraction' to Miss Hathaway. She's very beautiful, _but..._ that does not detract from the fact that she..._is_...a teacher at this academy and as such is expected to conduct herself in a manner other than what she has done. I've known Miss Hathaway her whole life, I've known how she spent her time when she was younger, she's never been any different. But, you're new here and after leading what I would expect, a very lonely life the last two years, you were unprepared to handle the advances of someone in her position."

"No, that's not it at all..." I wanted to say more but she held up her hand and continued to talk.

"I'm willing to...overlook you're part in this fiasco. You can go back to class, another mentor can be arranged to continue your training and you can graduate in six weeks as planned; and if you're as good as everyone says you are, then I'm sure that you will find the Moroi I have in mind for you to your liking." _What is she on about? New mentor.... shit.... _I'm sure she could hear my heart beating like mad.

"I don't need another mentor your majesty. Guardian Hathaway is an amazing fighter..."

"I'm sure she is. But, as you seem a little slow on the uptake Mr Belikov; let me spell it out for you. _Miss_ Hathaway will no longer be available to _be_ your mentor. What has happened here is a serious matter and will be dealt with accordingly. Don't let your hormones ruin your life Mr Belikov, she's not worth it."

"Your Majesty!" I said a little louder than planned. I stood up and looked down at her... "Rose has put her life on the line on many occasions for her charge _and_ those who aren't; she has proven her loyalty to the safety of all Moroi. She _is_ worth it." The queen walked closer to me and her cold green eyes sparkled.

"No... She's really not. She is a Dhampir; she was expected to do her job; to protect her charge and to train other Dhampirs, she _failed_ in her job. And _our_ lives depend on Dhampirs who _don't_ _fail_. There is no room for 'distracted' guardians." With that she turned to face the headmistress.

"Ellen, when the council get here, notify me please. I'll be in my suite."

"Yes your majesty." Then she and her guardians were gone.

"What's happening?" I asked the two women in front of me. "What is she going to do to Rose?"

"She has called for a guardian council meeting. I would expect that she will ask for Rose to be stripped of her guardianship and sent away." Said Kirova.

"No... Why would she do that? Rose is one of the best guardians around, why would she do that? It doesn't make sense, and she's bonded to the princess." The women didn't have any answers for me. Kirova's phone rang and the office door opened, she looked over my shoulder and nodded and I turned to see one of the queen's guards looking at me. I was led into another room where I stayed for the next hour or two. I don't know how long I was there for exactly, but it was a while, when the door opened I saw it was the same guardian that brought me in here.

"Come with me." He said. I got up and followed him into a large room I didn't even know existed in this building. As I looked around the room I saw Rose sitting on a chair facing a group of old, grey haired Dhampirs and Moroi. Obviously they were the council members. I couldn't see her face as her back was to the doors.

"Now we can begin." Said an old male Dhampir with a Russian accent. "We're here to discuss the appropriate punishment of Rosemarie Hathaway on the charge of 'conduct unbecoming of a Guardian and Endangerment of a novice guardian." _What in the hell? Endangerment.... _"How do you plead Miss Hathaway?"

"Not guilty." She said confidently. The council members mumbled to themselves for a minute before facing Rose again. "Will Guardian Petrov please step forward?" I watched Alberta walk towards Rose and sit in the empty seat beside her. "Guardian Petrov. You have admitted that you knew of this...situation, between Miss Hathaway and Mr Belikov and you did nothing?"

"Yes."

"And why is that? Why did you do nothing?"

"Because they are both adults and capable of making their own decisions in their lives." _Thank you Alberta. _"Because as guardians, we get very little of our lives to call our own and I felt that if they loved one another, then who was I to stop that."

"You were the guardian captain of this academy Guardian Petrov, that's who. It was your _job_ to stop this. You may leave." The moroi said bitterly. As Alberta stood and walked back to where we were all standing my eyes met hers and I could see her heart was breaking as much as mine. This questioning went on and on with some of the Moroi and Guardians of the school and Rose just sat there with no emotion at all. She was as stoic as I'd ever seen her.

"Novice Belikov, step forward." I swallowed and then walked forward with my head held high and then sat beside Rose. As I'd walked towards her though, I could see that the mask she had on her face was only just staying in place by the thinnest of threads. "Novice Belikov, I understand that it is _you_ who has been involved with Miss Hathaway?" _Here goes nothing..._

"Yes, I'm the one who is in love with _Guardian_ Hathaway." I felt Rose stiffen and her head dropped forward slightly as I said that, but she soon looked up forward again. "Nothing that has happened between Rose and I has been forced upon me. If anything, I pushed her. She told me that nothing could come of a relationship; she told me that she was my teacher and as such couldn't be in a relationship with me or anyone else for that matter as she was Princess Dragomir's guardian, but I kept at her, telling her I loved her...." But I was interrupted.

"That's all very well and good Novice Belikov, and we understand that Dhampirs have feelings." This old, antique of a Moroi sat there looking down her long, pointy nose at us and said that she 'understands we have feelings'? I could feel my temper rising and Rose did too apparently. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her turn her head slightly in my direction as if she was telling me to calm down. "But coming here, training to become a promised guardian, you give up the life where you _can_ be with someone that you love. When you become a guardian, you more or less sign your life over to us and our protection is paramount." She really needed to stop talking because I was seriously going to get up and shove her nose into her brain soon. Rose cleared her throat snapping my thoughts of murder away and I looked down to collect myself. "You may leave Novice Belikov." I was about to say something else when I thought I heard Rose say to leave. It was extremely quiet, but I would do what she asked. I stood up to leave but I just had one more thing to say.

"What you're doing to Rose...it's wrong." Then I walked back to my previous spot.

"Guardian Miller." At last the queen spoke up. One of her personal guardians looked at her; took out his phone and started texting. "Rosemarie, the council and I have spoken and a decision has been reached. Your punishment will be banishment from our society." Then the door opened to reveal Lissa and Adrian. Rose's head turned slightly as they entered but she didn't turn the whole way and I could tell that she was speaking to Lissa.

"No speaking amongst yourselves if you don't mind." The queen said. _Try to stop them. _I thought. "Rosemarie, I just don't understand your actions here. What were you thinking? What did you think you could possible do by allowing yourself to have feelings for someone? You had a good life and you've thrown it all away, for what, a roll in the hay?"

"I know that in _your_ eyes I am nothing more than just a Dhampir. I have suffered a lot in my life, _all_ my life. I've never had a family; No father, my mother left me with Moroi when I was born and then sent here at the age of five. Since that time, I could count on my hands the number times I've seen her since. The princess and her family welcomed me as one of their own, but they too were ripped away from me." My heart was breaking listening to her story. I'd asked her about it once and she'd made it very clear that it was something that she did _not _speak about. "Then I found someone who I opened my heart to, only to lose him too. I promised myself that I would _never_ feel the pain of loss again; I would devote my life to the Princess and if it was my fate, I would die to protect her. Then..." She closed her eyes and a tear fell from her eye. "Then I met Dimitri. I tried to ignore what I felt, I resisted with everything I had in me, but I wanted to be loved. And for the first time in a long time I chose to have a little bit of life that was mine...."

"I DON'T _CARE_ WHAT YOU WANT!" The queen yelled. People startled at her voice. "You don't get to choose what _you_ want missy! _You_ are here for one thing and one thing only. To serve and protect _US_! Do you understand?"

"Aunt, that's not fair." Adrian said.

"And _YOU_! You've _always_ been too soft when it comes to her. You're a Moroi Adrian, a Royal Moroi at that, _and _my nephew." My attention zoned out while he fought for Rose. I knew that this was going to end badly; I just had to hope that she wouldn't be taken off to prison because of my actions. I thought that I should probably start listening to what was going on.

"That's what she's bred for Adrian, that's what they're _all_ bred for." _Did she really just say that? What we're bred for? You've got to be fucking kidding me! _My anger was reaching boiling point when I felt someone grab my arm. I looked to my right to see Alberta standing beside me; my arm firmly in her grasp as she watched the queen and Adrian argue.

"Without _them, WE _won't survive." Adrian yelled. "_You're_ the one blinded here. Think about it Aunty, if we weren't around anymore, how long do you think it would take for the Dhampir's to die out? A year or a lifetime? Now on the other hand, if _they_ were to die off how long do you think _we'd_ last? A year....or a lifetime?" _How true was that statement? _I suddenly saw Adrian in a new light...

"_Enough_ of this nonsense." The queen yelled. "My decision is final. She should think herself lucky that I'm only banishing her. If it wasn't for her 'bond' she'd be flogged within an inch of her life and jailed for the rest of it. But we all know that any harm that comes to her will also hurt the princess." _I'd like to see them try to flog her._

"If you banish Rose, then you banish me too." The Princess walked forward to stand beside Rose and I could tell by Rose's creased forehead that she was probably yelling at Lissa to shut up.

"_WHAT_?" yelled the queen.

"You heard me. Where Rose goes, I go. First and foremost she is my sister, second she is my best friend and lastly she is my guardian as she will always be, no matter what you do. And if I have to leave to keep her in my life, then that's what will happen." The queens eyes widened and she looked flustered. The council members started whispering amongst themselves too as the queen tried to think of something to say.

"And _you_..." She yelled as she pointed her finger at me. "You know the rules as well as anyone." I took this as my chance to take my stand. "You are brought up with these rules told over and over..."

"Yes we are," I said as I came up behind Rose. "...and I'm only just seeing now, how truly twisted you are. We really are nothing but guard dogs to you, aren't we? Something to be thrown in front of those who mean you harm. Well you can count me out; I'd rather protect those who would appreciate my sacrifice."

"Oh really? And who would that be? Humans...."

"If they needed my protection, yes." I said honestly. "At least they would appreciate my help. But with the way this is heading, I would expect there to be a few Moroi who will be joining us." I knew that Liss and Adrian would not abandon Rose; they'd proven that here already, and I had a strong feeling that Christian would come too.

"What on earth are you talking about?" She asked me, but Adrian was the one who answered her.

"You have no idea just how much Rose is loved Aunty. If she is banished, she is not the only one you will be sending out. _I _will be joining her."

"As will I." Said the princess...

"And you can count us out as well." Mason stood forward from his spot at the side of the room, Eddie close behind him. I knew they loved Rose, but I didn't think they'd give up their guardianships for her.

"NO Mase... no...." Rose said in a defeated voice...

"Rose, she has not only insulted you, but every guardian that _will_ or _has_ laid their lives down for them. I will not put my life on the line for people who think so little of _our_ lives."

"Nor will I...." Eddie now walked up to take his place beside the rest of us, and then a few more came forward to join us, including Alberta.

"I've spent my life in servitude." She said. "I've watched the man I loved killed and lost a child of my own because of those who don't deserve my sacrifices. No more! You have taken enough of my life; I will give you no more." Rose suddenly let out a cry and Lissa looked down at her as she put a hand on Rose's shoulder. She was speaking to her silently as well; I'd seen enough of those conversations to be able to see the subtle signs.

"Fine." The queen said indignantly. "Anyone who wishes to follow this....Dhampir can do so; I don't want the likes of you protecting me anyway. I expect you all to be out of this Academy within the hour." So... there it is. Within an hour, our lives would be permanently altered and I will enjoy every second of it because I'll have Rose in my arms.

**Rose's Point of View.**

I'd been in the conference room for probably close to two hours, the guardian that stood at the door would look at me every now and again, but as usual I saw nothing in his features to know what he was thinking, and he never uttered a word to me the whole time I'd been here.

"Can I have some water please?" I asked him. He pointed behind me so I turned around to see a water fountain. The cold liquid felt good against my dry throat and tongue. I think the queen purposely sent me here just to make me sweat it out but I refused to give her that satisfaction. I had no doubt that she would push to banish me, I only hoped that she would ensure that Liss had a competent guardian to take my place. The guardian's phone buzzed and he looked at the message that he'd been sent.

"Follow me." He said...

"You know, you really should curb your talking habits, the queen doesn't like chatty guardians..." I swear I saw him roll his eyes at me. He guided me down to the banquet room that was at the side of the building, it was only ever used for 'official' reasons. The doors opened and along the back wall sat four old Dhampirs and three old Moroi... The Guardian Council. I walked over to the rather uncomfortable looking chair that sat in front of their long table and waited for this farce to be over. The council spoke amongst themselves for a while and then I heard the door behind me open. I don't know who arrived as I didn't turn around to see.

"Now we can begin." Said one of the old Dhampir's. "We're here to discuss the appropriate punishment of Rosemarie Hathaway on the charge of 'conduct unbecoming of a Guardian and Endangerment of a novice guardian." What a joke... This was the thing that her Royal Bitchiness had been waiting for to get rid of me... Endangerment..._ Pfft! _"How do you plead Miss Hathaway?"

"Not guilty." I said trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. After their little show of whispering they called Alberta. "Will Guardian Petrov please step forward?" She sat beside me and I could almost feel the anger radiate from her. "Guardian Petrov. You have admitted that you knew of this...situation, between Miss Hathaway and Mr Belikov and you did nothing?"

"Yes."

"And why is that? Why did you do nothing?"

"Because they are both adults and capable of making their own decisions in their lives. Because as guardians, we get very little of our lives to call our own and I felt that if they loved one another, then who was I to stop that." I loved Alberta for what she was trying to do, but I knew where this was heading.

"You were the guardian captain of this academy Guardian Petrov, that's who. It was your _job_ to stop this. You may leave." As Alberta stood up and left, I felt an uncomfortable 'aloneness'... I knew who I really wanted beside me. They brought up all things I'd done while at school and since being a guardian, they questioned everything I'd done in my life.

"Novice Belikov, step forward." My heart skipped, I didn't realise he was here. I couldn't look at him; if I did I would have lost it. I just stared at the mongrels in front of me. "Novice Belikov, I understand that it is _you_ who has been involved with Miss Hathaway?" _Don't say anything that can get you in trouble...please...._

"Yes, I'm the one who is in love with _Guardian_ Hathaway." _That wasn't the right thing to say.... _I could feel myself stiffen but I had to compose myself. "Nothing that has happened between Rose and I has been forced upon me. If anything, I pushed her. She told me that nothing could come of a relationship; she told me that she was my teacher and as such couldn't be in a relationship with me or anyone else for that matter as she was Princess Dragomir's guardian, but I kept at her, telling her I loved her...." My heart was breaking hearing him talk. I could hear the love in his voice.

"That's all very well and good Novice Belikov, and we understand that Dhampirs have feelings." I glanced at the old bitch that had said this and in doing so I caught a glimpse at Dimitri's face and body posture and could see him getting angry. I turned my head slightly towards him, hoping that he would see me and calm down. "But coming here, training to become a promised guardian, you give up the life where you _can_ be with someone that you love. When you become a guardian, you more or less sign your life over to us and our protection is paramount." This stupid woman didn't know when to shut up.... Dimitri's self control was only so good. I cleared my throat and I saw him breathe deeply as he looked to the ground. "You may leave Novice Belikov." I could tell he was going to say something so I had to stop him. "Leave." I said as quietly as I could. I didn't know if he heard me or not at first but then he stood up.

"What you're doing to Rose...it's wrong." I wanted to reach up and kiss him and it took every bit of strength not to do it.

"Rosemarie, the council and I have spoken and a decision has been reached. Your punishment will be banishment from our society." Surprise, surprise.... Before the door even opened, I became aware of Lissa, when she stepped inside the room I turned half way around.

_Rose! These pricks will pay for what they're doing to you, I promise._

_Settle down Liss, what's done is done. _

_They won't get away with this._

"No speaking amongst yourselves if you don't mind." Queen Bitch said. I really didn't know how she was going to stop us really. "Rosemarie, I just don't understand your actions here. What were you thinking? What did you think you could possible do by allowing yourself to have feelings for someone? You had a good life and you've thrown it all away, for what, a roll in the hay?" My eyebrows rose on their own accord at her last statement... A good life... Yeah... my idea of a good life is obviously different to hers. I had to respond, even though I knew it would do no good.

"I know that in _your_ eyes I am nothing more than just a Dhampir. I have suffered a lot in my life, _all_ my life. I've never had a family; No father, my mother left me with Moroi when I was born and then sent here at the age of five. Since that time, I could count on my hands the number times I've seen her since. The princess and her family welcomed me as one of their own, but they too were ripped away from me. Then I found someone who I opened my heart to, only to lose him too. I promised myself that I would _never_ feel the pain of loss again; I would devote my life to the Princess and if it was my fate, I would die to protect her. Then..." I closed my eyes as the words got stuck in my throat, a treacherous tear fell from my eye. "Then I met Dimitri. I tried to ignore what I felt, I resisted with everything I had in me, but I wanted to be loved. And for the first time in a long time I chose to have a little bit of life that was mine...."

"I DON'T _CARE_ WHAT YOU WANT!" The queen yelled. People startled at her voice. "You don't get to choose what _you_ want missy! _You_ are here for one thing and one thing only. To serve and protect _US_! Do you understand?" She was really starting to piss me off so I had to try to think of something else... I could feel Liss trying desperately not to let the darkness take hold of her. Then the bitch's voice pulled me back.

"That's what she's bred for Adrian, that's what they're _all_ bred for." I couldn't believe she'd just said that... with a room full of Dhampir's too. "They need _us_ to procreate, so it's in their best interest to protect us. Without us, they won't survive."

"Without _them, WE _won't survive." Adrian yelled. "_You're_ the one blinded here. Think about it Aunty, if we weren't around anymore, how long do you think it would take for the Dhampir's to die out? A year or a lifetime? Now on the other hand, if _they_ were to die off how long do you think _we'd_ last? A year....or a lifetime?" Adrian had obviously thought a lot about this and I realised what a wonderful king he would make. He could be the change our world needed.

"_Enough_ of this nonsense." The queen yelled. "My decision is final. She should think herself lucky that I'm only banishing her. If it wasn't for her 'bond' she'd be flogged within an inch of her life and jailed for the rest of it. But we all know that any harm that comes to her will also hurt the princess."

"If you banish Rose, then you banish me too."

_Liss NO! _I screamed silently to her. _Don't you do this... you're too important, please don't..._

_I know what I'm doing Rose..._

"_WHAT_?" The queen nearly had a heart attack, shame she didn't though....

_You can't do this Liss... _But she ignored me. Fear for her safety coursed through my veins like a tidal wave.

"You heard me. Where Rose goes, I go. First and foremost she is my sister, second she is my best friend and lastly she is my guardian as she will always be, no matter what you do. And if I have to leave to keep her in my life, then that's what will happen."

_You've backed her into a corner you idiot, what did you __do__ that for?_

_Settle down Rose, I've made my decision. And if it makes it any easier for you, I'll pull the 'boss' card... _My heart was breaking and I didn't know how much longer I could go on without falling into a million pieces.

The queens didn't know what to do. On one hand she couldn't back down, she'd lose all credibility but that didn't mean she didn't also know what the possible repercussions of banishing Lissa could amount to.

"And _you_... You know the rules as well as anyone. You are brought up with these rules told over and over..." I couldn't see who she was speaking to...

"Yes we are," I winced when I heard his voice and by his tone, I had a bad feeling... He'd better not do what I think he was about to do. When he started speaking again, I knew he was standing behind me. "...and I'm only just seeing now, how truly twisted you are. We really are nothing but guard dogs to you, aren't we? Something to be thrown in front of those who mean you harm. Well you can count me out; I'd rather protect those who would appreciate my sacrifice." _Oh no... this is turning into a nightmare..._

_It doesn't matter Rose. Even if we didn't know about this until you'd left... we would have followed until we found you anyway. _

"Oh really? And who would that be? Humans...."

"If they needed my protection, yes." I could hear the honesty in his words. "At least they would appreciate my help. But with the way this is heading, I would expect there to be a few Moroi who will be joining us." I tried to think of what he meant by that and it made me feel sort of sick.

"What on earth are you talking about?" The queen said snidely.

"You have no idea just how much Rose is loved Aunty. If she is banished, she is not the only one you will be sending out. _I _will be joining her." I spun my head around to look at him, to tell him to shut the hell up, but he didn't look at me.

"As will I." I knew what they were doing, but this was turning out all wrong... Their lives would be in mortal danger now because of me, because I wasn't strong enough to resist Dimitri.

"And you can count us out as well." When I heard Mason's voice my heart sunk further... I loved my friends and would die happily for any of them, but it broke my heart to know what they were doing.

"NO Mase... no...." I said looking at him. He gave me a quick smile and winked at me before explaining why he was doing this.

"Rose, she has not only insulted you, but every guardian that _will_ or _has_ laid their lives down for them. I will not put my life on the line for people who think so little of _our_ lives."

"Nor will I...." My jaw clenched hearing Eddie's voice. Then other guardians that I didn't recognise joined in. But what shocked me the most was Alberta, I never thought she do anything like this...ever.

"I've spent my life in servitude." She said. "I've watched the man I loved killed and lost a child of my own because of those who don't deserve my sacrifices. No more! You have taken enough of my life; I will give you no more." I couldn't hold it in any longer, a sob ripped from my chest as the full extent of what was happening crashed into me... Lissa's hand touched my shoulder as she spoke.

_Rose, do you see now how much we love you. _

_Liss, you can't do this..._

_That's not up to you now is it? This has been our decisions and ours alone. I promised you once that we would be together forever, probably even after that and I meant it. _

_Liss..._

_Shush.... _

"Fine. Anyone who wishes to follow this...._Dhampir_ can do so; I don't want the likes of _you_ protecting me anyway. I expect you all to be out of this Academy within the hour."

My heart ached... Because of me, those I loved the most were now banished and I'd managed to virtually put Liss and Adrian into the hands of Strigoi. I felt like I was going to throw up.

What have I done....?


	38. Author's note

Well, this isn't good....

By replacing the authors note, it made it so that you guys can't review.... Sooo.... I'm replacing the authors note and putting chapter 37 up again, so I anyone wants to review that couldn't do so before... now you can!

Sorry about that.

Thanks guys....

Sandy


	39. Chapter 37

**Okay... First of all, thank you all so much for your reviews, second... Thanks for letting me know that you all like my make out scenes...  
I'm really glad that you think that they're tastefully written. Sooo, that said... you all get a treat in a couple of chapters! LOL!  
I can't believe this story is heading into another big story.... It was only meant to be a one or two shot! hehehe  
Personally, I'm starting to think I'm incapable of writing a short story... my hubby would probably say that's because I love  
to talk!!! Don't know what he's on about really! ;-) **

**Anyway, because you all answered my Author's note so fast and decisively, here's the next chapter!  
Enjoy!**

* * *

**Thirty Seven**

"Be thankful, I could have just made you walk." Queen Bitch said from behind us. She'd organised SUV's to take us to the airport, but then I think she only did that because of Adrian and Liss. "When bodies start mounting up, no-one will be able to say that I didn't do all I could. After all, it's _your_ fault in the first place _Miss_ Hathaway." I squared my shoulders and walked up to the queen and all of her minions that surrounded her. I had nothing to lose now, so I had a few things to say.

"Actually it's not. Because if you weren't such a relic, the issue of my relationship would not have been something for us to hide in the first place. So if you want to get to the nitty gritty of the situation, the blame falls directly at your feet..._bitch_." He eyes narrowed at me and I could see how much she was restraining herself. "Oh, and I'll give you a little word of advice, I'll give you _all_ a word of advice," I said to everyone around her. "Watch your back with the little devil spawn in your midst." I gave a side glance to Hope so that everyone knew who I was speaking about. "Because if any of you get in the way of something she wants, or something she _thinks_ is hers.... you will all end up....living with me. If you want someone else to blame for all of this, look to your darling niece, after all she's the one who orchestrated all of this." I turned to face Hope; I needed to get back at her in some way. "You know Hope; I wasn't going to let everyone know about your illegal use of compulsion, but I think it's only fair that I warn everyone so that they know that you're capable of making them think whatever you want them to."

"What are you talking about?" Tatiana asked confused.

"Oh, you didn't know? Think about it, her brother is a spirit user, if anyone is going to have the genetics to be stronger than most in _certain_ abilities, who do you think that would be? You have no idea how you've been manipulated by her." I leant forward and ignored the guardians who shadowed my move. "I'd be careful if I was you, she's just nuts enough to want your job, she could make you do and say crazy things....and you just got rid of three people who are immune to compulsion and would have protected you." I smiled at her before walking back to the vans where my family waited for me and then turned back to the queen. "Good luck, you're gonna need it. Oh by the way, if ever you find yourself in early retirement...or a padded cell, don't come looking to us for help." I saw her looking at Hope and then when she turned back to face me, I saw her usual smug face show a sliver of trepidation.

_Ow, I liked that... _I smiled to my sister, after all, that's what she was to me now... and we all piled into the cars. We had no idea what we were going to do or where we were going to go, but we were on our way to the airport, that's as far as Tatiana's grace was going to get us. The car I was in held the driver and Alberta, who was riding shot gun, Lissa, Christian and Adrian in the middle row seats and Mason, Dimitri and I behind them. After the trial or should I say witch hunt, we were all escorted to our dorms to pack. It was still lunchtime so we had plenty of eyes on us. Christian had been looking for us all over campus when we were walking through the quad and when he found out what was going on; he'd said that his place was with all of us. I knew his loyalty was mostly directed to Lissa and then Dimitri, but a part of me was pleased he was with us anyway.

We'd been driving for a little over half an hour and I was in a world of my own as I tried to think of all the things I had to do to ensure the safety of the Moroi with us, where we could go, how we were going to get there. I think the reality of the situation was finally hitting me; especially now that I wasn't all pumped up on adrenaline.... I felt a headache coming on so I let my forehead rest against the cold glass of the cars windows.

_Rose, settle down please, you're making me feel sick._

_That's probably because I __feel__ sick Liss. How are we going to do this? What if you get hurt? Adrian...Christian...._

_Rose, if we hadn't been offered the jobs at the academy when we graduated, we would have been out in the world anyway._

_Yeah but you could have been at Court 90% of the time where it's safe, where there are wards... _

_You need to relax Rose, try to get some sleep while we're driving._

"Yeah right." I mumbled aloud. I could tell that Dimitri had turned to face me when I spoke.

_Do you want me to help you?_

"_NO_!" I yelled as I sat upright. The guardian who was driving swerved as he looked back at me in the rear-view mirror and the car started to slow. "Sorry, keep driving..." He knew of my strigoi alarm so he probably thought I knew something the rest of them didn't. "No Liss. I need to be awake."

"Okay." She said. I gave her a half smile and then looked at Dimitri who was sitting beside me with a 'tell me what's going on' look.

"Liss wanted to make me sleep.....not a good idea while we're out in the open." It was dark out here still, and would be for a few more hours, and all of us guardian's were on alert. He lifted one hand and put it against my cheek; I almost forgot we weren't alone as I got lost in his deep brown eyes. Then I remembered we _weren't_ alone, and I leaned away from him. Even though everyone here knew about us now, it still wasn't the time, and I did feel a little uncomfortable.

_Give him a kiss Rose... _I could feel her humour coming through the bond and I looked at her smirking face and stuck my tongue at her. She couldn't help herself; she just had to laugh.... _Go on._.._you know you want to._

_Mind your own business. On second thoughts, I will if you will. _I smiled as I saw her eyes widen, I thought I had her until I saw a grin pull at the sides of her mouth.

"Hey Christian, mind if I try a little experiment?" she asked him. He sat beside her with a confused but slightly amused look.

"As long as it doesn't involve pain I suppose it would be fine..."

"Wimp..." I said under my breath. He glanced sideways at me and narrowed his eyes.

"Want to see who cries 'Uncle' first, Hathaway?" he said as he held up a flaming finger.

"Bring it on Firebug... You still have a whoopin' on the way from the last time you did that. I haven't forgotten."

"Will you two stop it? You're just like children. Now, back to my question..." Liss said.

_Are you really going to do this...? You're a teacher too remember? _I really hoped that she wasn't going to do it, but I knew Liss very well...of _course_ she was going to do it. She leant forward and kissed Christian straight on the lips. Alberta gave a slight gasp, but everyone else around us started softly laughing, Christian didn't need any convincing though, he responded instantly; taking her face in his hands and deepening the kiss.

_I dare ya, Hathaway... _She said as she kept kissing him_. _Oh, she didn't want to play _that_ game with me.... 'dare' me hey.... I smirked as I turned to look at a still laughing Dimitri. I reached out and grabbed his face. When he raised his eyebrow, I swung my leg over his lap and gave him a kiss that silenced the whole car instantly. Dare I say that he was as enthusiastic about _my_ kiss as Christian had been about Lissa's, maybe a little more so. His left hand clutched the back of my neck tightly and his right hand pulled my body into his. He'd obviously needed this as much as I did.

"_Oh!_... Don't do that next to me..." yelled Mason. He gave me a push, probably in hopes of getting us apart, but all it succeeded in doing was pushing me onto my back and me pulling Dimitri down on top of me. "_AHH_! Make them stop!" He yelled with an almost horrified look on his face. I could hear laughter all around us and after all the strain of the last few hours, the nervous energy in us all was at its peak, so Mason's panic that we were going to get hot and heavy beside him made us all burst out in hysterics. "That was seriously _NOT_ funny guys. I know I've had _many_ fantasies of you in that position Rose, but hewas _definitely_ not the other person involved." Even though we were no longer kissing, it didn't go unnoticed that Dimitri was still only an inch away from my face. The SUV suddenly became a lot less crowded, at least to Dimitri and I anyway.

"I love you." He mouthed silently.

"I love you too." I mouthed back. He bent forward and kissed me softly again and then sat up with a smile; pulling me up with him.

_Well, that's more like it. _Liss said silently. _I like this feeling better than the sick feeling._

_You did that on purpose? _She smiled and turned around to face the front, and rested her head on Christian's shoulder. So I reached forward and gave the back of her head a quick flick of my fingers. She didn't turn back around, but I heard her laughing.

_Thank you Liss._

_Anytime Sis. _It was only about an hour and a bit later that our convoy of three SUV's pulled up outside the airport and our motley group of homeless dhampirs and moroi all piled out onto the cement pathway outside the terminal.

"Look after yourselves." Said the guardian who drove us; Mason and Dimitri were getting the bags out of the car behind us. "Here's a number to ring if you ever need help. You aren't alone out here Rose; you have many friends, here _and_ inside the wards. Anytime you find yourself in trouble, please don't hesitate to call any one of these numbers. Once you know where you're going ring the top number, they will give you some contacts in your area." It made my heart beat faster knowing that we wouldn't be completely alone out here. For the first time, I saw the glimpses of a growing resentment in the hearts of Dhampirs.

"Thank you." There really wasn't much else to say and we weren't an overly emotional bunch, but I thought he at least deserved a kiss for his concern. I reached up and kissed his cheek. He smiled and I saw his cheeks flush slightly and then his guardian mask slipped back in place.

He looked up and nodded to the other drivers behind us and then they all got in and drove away.

"Okay." Said Liss. "Where to?"

"First of all we need to get you guys into the airport." We picked up our bags and walked inside, I relaxed a little seeing the amount of humans inside. "Gather around please." I said to all of the dhampir's. "I know that most of you have your own reasons for doing what you did. I don't know if you all wish to stay together or if you have other plans, but know that you're all welcome to come with us."

"Guardian Hathaway," One of the guardian's that started at the academy just after I brought Dimitri and Christian back, spoke up and walked forward. "I came to the academy in hopes of finding somewhere that could restore my desire to be a guardian. And for a while, I had it. But what happened to you, it made me realise that no matter where I go, it will always be the same. I have no desire to be treated that way for the next fifty years of my life. I'll be coming with you." I smiled as I extended my arm out to him.

"First off, I'm not a guardian anymore." I said. _Wow that sounded weird! _I thought to myself...

_Didn't it what! _I looked at Liss who just shrugged her shoulders at me.

"...Sooo, call me Rose from now on alright."

"Okay Rose. Call me Brad." Ah, now I remember his name, Brad Christou.

All of the guardians who were staying with us walked forward and shook my hand; some, like it was the first time we'd met even though I'd known them for years. There were about five that had decided that they were going to go back to their homes and start a new life. Liss, being the person she is, bought them all tickets to wherever they wanted to go...all first class of course. She hugged them all and told them that on the behalf of the Moroi world, she was sorry that they'd been treated so badly. I watched her with the guardians and realised what a difference she could have made in the Moroi Royal world. There had been rumours that she would take over from Tatiana when she abdicated her throne, which would no longer happen because of me.

_If you think that one more time Rose, I swear I'm going to hit you. _I couldn't help but smile at her tone. As serious as I knew she was, I also knew she couldn't exactly hurt me.

_Pushy cow._.. I said to her.

_Pigheaded bitch._...

_Snot-face._...

_Toad features._.. My shoulders started shaking as I tried to hold back the laughter.

_Stuck up Royal.... _Her mouth opened in a big 'O' and then her eyes narrowed as a smile stretched across her face.

_Low life half-breed... _That's all I could handle, Liss and I stared at each other for a second or two before we both burst out laughing. The others probably thought we'd both flipped our lids, but they'd be horrified if they'd heard us out loud. Only we could call each other those names and get away with it, if anyone else had said them, they'd be picking their teeth out of the back of their throats for the next week.

"So snot-face, have you thought of anywhere to go?" I asked her as I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Well, I did think of somewhere, and it is mine..." Just then an image popped into her head.

"Oh, I like the way you think."

"Okay, how 'bout you let the rest of us mentally deaf people in on what's going on." Christian said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, where would be the fun in that, I want to see what you have to say once we're there." I said to him. Dimitri bent down close to whisper something to me and as I was already hyperaware of his presence so close to me, the thought of his lips so close to my ears sent shivers down my body. Even without looking at him, I knew that he smiled when he saw my reaction.

"Can you give me a hint?" he whispered.

"No." I said simply.

Of course Liss being Liss, we couldn't go on a commercial flight, she hired a private 30 seater plane to take us to our new home. We made our way to the private lounge to wait for our flight; it wasn't a long wait but it still had my nerves on end. I just wanted to get out of here and Adrian had organised transport from the Hazelton airport (where we were going to land) to Lissa's estate in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. The plane was great, it fit all of us with room to spare; its comfy looking leather seats were a welcome sight. Dimitri and I sat together up the back and the others were gracious enough to give us a little privacy by sitting up front.

"How are you holding up?" he asked me.

"Oh, you know me."

"Yeah, I do. That's how I know this must be playing on your mind." I looked out of my window as the ground got further and further away from us, he knew me so well. "You're probably thinking about how your actions got everyone you loved banished and that it's all your fault, how close am I?"

"It _is_ all my fault." I said almost whispering. His hand grabbed my chin and made me face him.

"No it's not. There is nothing wrong about the love we have for one another. When it all came down to it, none of us had to say we were coming with you. We could have all said tearful farewells and continued on with our lives or we could have found some way to find you in six weeks time. But we didn't, we all made a choice, we all made a choice to stand up for ourselves as dhampirs. So this decision was as much about us as it was you." I could see the truth in his eyes and it did make me feel a little better, but not much. I was just the sort of person who took on the responsibility of others. Once we landed at Hazelton, I was happy to see the sun making its appearance on the horizon and I felt better in the knowledge that we'd soon be behind the wards surrounding Lissa's home.

"So, do we get to know where we're going now?" Christian asked Lissa.

"No." She said with a smile. I had to giggle at his scowl, he was so temperamental. We piled into the SUV's that Adrian had rented and set off for the short trip to Blakeslee.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Christian as we pulled up. "You own this?" Liss and I glanced at one another as we watched his face.

"Yeah, I do now. I inherited it a couple of years ago when my Uncle Victor died." I knew that it hurt Liss that she couldn't cure her 'uncle' of his disease. He had a lot of good ideas that he would have implemented had he not got sick; rumours circulated that he was the queen's choice to take over from her as our next king, but his illness stopped all of that. Lissa tried one healing only for it to return three months later. Because of that we realised that her healing abilities only healed physical injuries not genetic problems. I watched as everyone's heads looked up at the mansion that was now our home as they walked up the front stairs.

The staff that were waiting at the door greeted us and took all our baggage up to the second floor where the bedroom suites were located. Alberta and I went with them to make sure that the rooms were allocated so as to ensure the safety of the three Moroi that were with us.

"I'm going to go check on the boundaries." Alberta said. "Are you coming?"

"Would you mind if one of the others went with you?" I asked her. I really needed to be alone for a while.

"Sure. A lot has happened today Rose, try to find somewhere that you can collect your thoughts."

"Thanks Alberta." She smiled and then walked back down the hall. I turned and went back to the suite next to Lissa's that I'd always used whenever we'd come here as kids. My room hadn't changed at all, it had the same soft cream walls with the gold sheen, the same deep royal blue plush carpet, the blue, cream and gold drapes; it was like I was fifteen again. I walked over to my huge king size bed and smiled. It had been a long time since I'd seen a bed that looked so soft. I gingerly climbed onto the golden silk quilt and fell into the pile of multi colored cushions that adorned the bed. As I closed my eyes, memories of the last couple of days replayed in my head. Everything that Hope had done, what my friends had done, the so called trial...the banishment. I hadn't even realised that I was crying until a sob escaped from my chest.

"Roza?" I didn't lift my head from the pillows when I heard his voice; I hated that he saw me crying, I was being weak but I couldn't stop, the tears kept coming. I felt the bed behind me dip with his weight and then his arm wrapped around me in a tight embrace. I don't know how long he held me for, but when my tears stopped flowing I sniffed and turned under his arm so that I was facing him. "I love you." He whispered. "I'll always be by your side." I moved closer and touched his lips softly with mine.

"Thank you. I love you too." He kissed my forehead and held me close as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	40. Chapter 38

**Hi Everyone,**

**Well I finally have the next chapter for you all. I know this one is a lot shorter than I've done for quite some time, but I had to  
stop it here. Anyway, I'll let you all in on a little tidbit... The next chapter is in Dimitri's POV... :-)**

**Thanks for all of your reviews, they're great.  
Enjoy....**

* * *

**Thirty Eight**

When my eyes opened again, the sun was nearly set. Dimitri's aftershave surrounded me and I smiled.

"Good morning Maya krasaveetsa." I looked at him quizzically, I knew a bit of Russian, but only just what I needed to get by, I had no idea what he'd just said.

"Maya....?"

"Maya krasaveetsa, it means 'my beauty'." He said. Hearing him speak his native tongue was like standing under a shower of warm liquid silk, it calmed my every nerve. "You know, I could get _very_ used to this."

"And by 'this', you mean what exactly?"

"Waking up beside you." I knew exactly what he meant. "Are you hungry?"

"Aren't I always?" The sound of his laugh was as good as the sound of his Russian words, and always put a smile on my face. "Come on, let's get you fed." After a bathroom stop and my attempt at trying to make my eyes not so puffy from crying, we made our way downstairs. We found everyone sitting outside at the rear courtyard beside the pool. Even though it was way too cold to go in, it was still nice to sit out there.

_Morning Sunshine..._ Liss greeted with a smile.

"Good morning to you too."

"Sleep well Buffy?" Christian said with a smirk. Instead of my normal snarkiness, I just raised my eyebrows at him but he mustn't have got the reaction he wanted as he threw his hands up in exasperation. Dimitri snickered beside me. "Don't tell me you don't know who Buffy is? You know....the vampire slayer...?" I knew who he was talking about, Liss and I were addicted to it when we were younger, and it was absolutely hilarious....

"So, if I'm Buffy, then it's my job to rid the world of....you?" Everyone was trying to stifle their laughter and Christian just grinned at me.

"Try it and see how far you get." Again little flames flicked onto the ends of his fingers.

"Without _that_ little party trick Christian, you're nothing but a bug!" Mason could not hold it in any longer, the drink he'd just taken spurted all over the ground and he started choking...

"Oh man, I missed you so much Rosie Posie... I forgot how much I loved living with you and your charming personality."

"Watch it Megs, that charming personality can quickly become something to fear." I shook my head as he blew me a kiss. Dimitri sat on one of the deck chairs and motioned for me to come sit with him. I shook my head and walked back inside to the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can get you Guardian Hathaway?" asked the cook.

"It's just Rose now, Anne. I'm not a guardian anymore. Um no thanks, I'm not really hungry this morning." Then I realised what I'd just said.... _I'm not a guardian anymore....._

"You... not hungry? Well, that's one for the record books." She said with a smile. Anne had been with the family ever since she was a teenager; she was now in her sixties and I'd known her for nearly as long as I'd known Lissa. She was like the grandmother that I'd never had. I slowly put my mental barriers up and said my goodbyes; then I walked outside to walk the perimeter; I needed to be alone with the ache in my chest. I know and understand what Dimitri had said to me about the choice he'd made at the 'trial', and in a way I probably would have done the same thing in his spot but that didn't make the guilt go away. I'd been outside for nearly an hour but I heard someone calling me, I didn't want to talk to anyone so I found a tree with low enough branches and hoisted myself up. I tensed as Mason and Eddie walked below me.

"Where in the hell could she be?" Eddie said.

"Have you seen how big this place is? She could be anywhere. I'll keep looking around here if you want to go around the back." Eddie nodded and jogged off around to rear of the mansion. "Rose!" I felt terrible for not letting him know where I was, but I just needed space, seeing their faces only reminded me of the mess I'd made of everyone's lives, including my own.

"Yes Lissa." Mason said into the earpiece. Alberta had taken a few necessities when she packed up her office before leaving, she knew there were things we'd need to guard the Moroi properly. "No, I haven't found her. Can't you see where she is? Oh, okay..." Thankfully I'd put my barriers up while I was in the kitchen earlier. "Ah, I'll be out here for a little bit more, I'll call in if I find her." Then I watched him walk away. Once he was out of sight, I turned on the branch and got myself comfortable. I needed to push my feelings down; I could not seem weak again like this morning, crying would help no-one. A little while later Dimitri's voice broke me out of my.... I don't know what you'd call it, I wasn't asleep but my mind had gone completely blank.....I don't remember thinking, seeing or hearing anything for ages...just blank.

"Rose! Are you out here? Please answer me." I could hear the panic in his voice and I wanted to call to him but I didn't want him or anyone else to know my hiding spot, I knew I'd be needing it again. I waited until he had walked away and then made my way silently down the tree. I walked in the opposite direction that he'd gone in and then sat down against another tree and closed my eyes to wait. I heard his footsteps a short time later and when I felt that he was next to me, I opened my eyes and looked at him. I expected him to say something but he didn't, he just sat down next to me and handed me an apple.

"Thanks." I said as I took it from him.

"You know that you can talk to me if you need to, right?"

"Yeah I know." We sat for a little while longer in an almost comfortable silence, but I knew he wanted to talk.

"Where have you been for the last six hours?" _Six hours... _That didn't seem right. I glanced at my watch and realised that it was 12:17am... _Huh!_

"Um...just walking around... making sure everything is alright."

"Then why have your barriers up?" I didn't want to get into this, so I stood up and dusted myself off, luckily he took the hint. He stood up beside me and looked like he really wanted to say more, but he didn't. "Come on, you haven't eaten all day and everyone's waiting for lunch." He took my hand and we walked back inside. My feelings for him were just as strong as they'd ever been, and I don't know how I would have coped without him if I'd been banished alone; it would have been hard to be without any of them really, but not being with him would have been unbearable.

**Three weeks later**

"Rose, talk to me please." Dimitri said as we laid together on the lounge. I couldn't talk to him, I couldn't talk to anyone. My guilt of our current situation had slowly eaten away at me weighed heavily on my shoulders and sometimes when I looked at him, my heart would break just a little more because if I hadn't fallen in love with him, Liss, Adrian, Christian...they'd be behind wards where they needed to be and _he_ would be graduating and looking forward to being Christian's sanctioned guardian... It was all my fault. All mine... I sat up from his embrace and then got off the lounge.

"I think I'm going to go up to bed now guys. I need to be up early for my shift. I'll see you all then." I said the last part looking at Dimitri so that he knew I wanted to be alone. I could see the hurt in his eyes, but I had too much on my mind to worry about his feelings too.

"Are you okay Rose?" Lissa asked. "You're not sick are you?"

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired. See you in the morning." I turned around without waiting for a reply and went upstairs to my room. I shut the door behind me and rested my forehead against it as I turned the key in the lock. I stood up and walked over to my tallboy to grab my PJ's. I did my normal night-time routine and showered and washed my hair, the warm water did little to relax my tight muscles tonight though. After drying my hair and getting dressed I turned the light off and then sat in the middle of my bed. Nights were beginning to become longer, more and more I found myself either unable to sleep or unable to stay awake. My mind just wouldn't shut down some nights; I had too much going on in my head, like tonight. Some nights I would just space out and stare off into the dark but still be unable to sleep. I looked at my alarm clock to see that it was now 12:05 pm... _"Damn..." _I tentatively reached out to see if Liss was okay and found that she was asleep, so seeing as I _couldn't_ sleep I decided to go check the house.

I changed into more appropriate clothes and then carefully opened my door so as not to wake the others and then walked down the hallway silently. As I walked outside into the courtyard and pool area, my senses were on high alert. I did a quick scan of the surrounding area and walked towards the tree line. As I walked I felt like I was being followed; I listened carefully but I couldn't hear breathing or anything, it was just a...feeling.

"You're losing it Hathaway." I scalded myself. I walked around to the front of the building and thought I saw movement in the distance. As I tried to focus on the area where I thought I saw something, someone or some_thing_ touched my shoulder. I instantly went into guardian mode; my body spun, my leg kicked out and connected with my opponents head.

"Ugh!" I looked down to see Luke Belamy, one of the other guardians unconscious on the ground.

"Oh shit! _Luke_! Oh hell...." I turned him over onto his back and felt for a pulse, it was strong but he was out for the count. "Damn it Luke, wake up... I don't feel like carrying your heavy ass back inside."

"Rose?" I looked up to see Alberta jogging up to us. "What happened?"

"He snuck up behind me... I sort of...reacted." Alberta shook her head and then came to help me lift him up. As we climbed the stairs, that feeling of being watched returned and I stopped to look behind me.

"What's wrong Rose?" Alberta asked me.

"Nothing... I suppose. Alberta... do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" I asked her. Her eyebrows knitted together and she shook her head.

"No. Why were you out here anyway Rose? It's not your shift and you're supposed to be in bed."

"I couldn't sleep." I said as we laid Luke down on the sofa. "So I thought I may as well do something useful. Well, I'll watch him to make sure he wakes up, if you'd like to get back to what you were doing?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" She smiled as she said that, but I could see the worry on her face.

"No, of course not." I was really, but I wouldn't tell her that. She nodded and then walked back outside. Luke came around in just under an hour so I sent him up to bed, but I still wasn't tired so I went out to the greenhouse and walked around all of the plants. Once the sun went down, I dragged myself back into the house. I hadn't been able to sleep at all last night but about two hours before I would normally have woken up, the exhaustion started to set in. I could feel it deep inside, but I couldn't go to sleep now, so I just went and had a cold shower...that did the trick, sort of.

"Good morning Rose." Lissa said as I walked into the kitchen. She, Christian and Dimitri were sitting at the table eating pancakes with ice-cream and maple syrup. That was normally one of my favourite things besides donuts; especially when they were made by Anne, but the sight of them this morning just made me feel ill, guess I was just way too overtired. "Do you want Anne to make you up some pancakes? I know they're your favourite, I'm sure she won't mind."

"No, it's fine. I'm not feeling real well this morning." I grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl and started to walk out to the pool. I took a bite but it tasted bland... _hmm, just like everything else in my life...bland. _I was pulled out of my thoughts as two arms wrapped around my waist. His aftershave wafted around me and I turned in his arms and looked into his beautiful eyes.

"I missed you last night." He said as he kissed me.

"I know. I'm sorry; I just needed to try and get some sleep."

"Oh, so how did that work out for you?"

"Mmm, not too well actually. But I'll be fine, I'm tough!" I gave a small laugh, but he didn't buy my bravado.

"What's wrong Roza?"

"Nothing." I didn't want to talk, so I pulled him in close and enjoyed the feel of his body against me. Being this close to him, breathing his wonderful scent, made that deep down 'tired' feeling overtake me; I could feel my legs starting to go from underneath me but I was just too tired to fight against it.

"Roza!" I looked up to his worried eyes. "Did you sleep at all last night?" I shook my head and my eyes started to droop. Somehow, I was aware of being picked up but I was so tired, then everything went black.


	41. Chapter 39

**Hi again... Well, sorry that the last chapter was a short one, in fact it was the shortest of this story... But this one is bigger! :-)  
Anyway... at long last Rose and Dimitri get lemony again... LOL... You asked for it! So here 'tis....  
The next two chapters are full of action, well I think so anyway... So I hope you like them. AND... they're both  
in Dimitri's point of view. Thanks again for your reviews, I love to see what you guys  
think is going to happen. Some of you get pretty close sometimes... ;-)**

**Anyway, enough babble... on with the story!**

* * *

**Thirty Nine**

Dimitri's POV

Our time here at Lissa's mansion so far, has been taxing to say the least. It didn't take long after arriving for me to find Rose crying, I knew that farce of a trial had taken its toll on her emotionally even though she tried to hide it, so I was actually waiting for some sort of reaction. Then the next morning, Rose went to the kitchen for breakfast or so I assumed, so I started talking to Lissa and Christian to work out what we were going to do now; after all...we can't just sit around this place and vegetate for the rest of our lives. It was some time later when I noticed that Rose still hadn't come back... That was the start of the next six hours of almost palpable panic that enveloped the household. Everyone was out looking for her, Liss tried to see through her eyes but Rose had put up her mental barriers, Adrian tried to see if he could reach her, the guardians took shifts of looking after the Moroi and searching for Rose.... Finally, everyone came to the conclusion that she obviously didn't want to be found, that she needed some time to herself and that maybe if it were just me out there, she might show herself. After I found her, the look on her face was scary to say the least; she took on too much responsibility about the situation that we now find ourselves in at this particular moment.

The next few weeks didn't improve... in fact her little disappearance act was just the beginning, sometimes she'd disappear for a couple of hours, the longest was nearly twelve hours, it almost felt like she was pulling away from us all. We'd all noticed that Rose had been showing some 'odd' behaviour the last few days. She seemed almost paranoid at times, she was moody, short tempered...even for Rose, she wasn't sleeping and the thing that _everyone_ in the house noticed was the lack of food that she was eating... Rose could eat anyone under the table and the first time that she said she wasn't hungry, sent everyone's alarm bells off....

Anyone could see how tired she was becoming, she'd lost weight and her eyes were beginning to take on an almost haunted look. Every time that Adrian would look at her, she'd yell at him to stop looking at her aura... I knew he still loved her, we all did but we all knew it would do more harm than good to try and make her talk before she was ready to. I was scared for her; I didn't know how much longer she could go on like this. Then last night... when she knocked Luke out... well that was just so unlike her and now...she just collapsed in my arms from exhaustion...

"Roza?" I yelled... I picked her up in my arms and I could feel how much lighter she was, Liss and Christian came running out from the kitchen when they heard me yelling.

"Dimitri, what's...? Rose! Oh my God....what happened?" Liss asked panicked...

"She just collapsed." Liss came over and tried to heal her, but she said that it wasn't working, probably because she wasn't injured.

"She's so sad..." Liss said. "Oh God... I can feel her feelings now... she's been blocking me. She has so much guilt, why didn't I see this before now? I'm such a bad friend."

"No... you're not Lissa, please don't think that." Christian said as he held her. I knew that she had nothing to feel bad about, how could she when Rose blocked those emotions away. _I_ was the one who should feel bad...._I_ could see what was happening...._I_ knew how she was feeling and I did nothing to help her; I could have said something to Rose and made her confront her feelings but I didn't...I let her struggle with this alone; what did that make me? I told her that I would be here for her and I did nothing....

"Take her upstairs Dimitri; I'll help you get her settled." Lissa said. "When she wakes up, will you see if you can get her to talk? I know she won't talk to me about this, she's always been the same; it's her way of protecting me." I nodded and then walked to her room with Christian and Lissa following. As I held her, Lissa and Christian pulled down her bed and as they were leaving, Lissa put her hand on my arm and gave me a sad smile. I put her down and pulled the covers up; she was so exhausted that she didn't even stir when I gently pressed my lips to hers. I knew what was worrying her; I would have felt exactly the same way if our positions had been reversed... If _I'd_ been the mentor and she'd been _my_ student, I would have placed the blame squarely on _my_ shoulders... _I_ would have felt that I should have been stronger, but I failed her, I let her take the blame when I shouldn't have. I sat and watched her sleep for the next few hours, but when my own guilt got too much, I stood up and walked over to her desk.

Some of the books that stood in between the bookends were the familiar ones I'd seen in her room back at the academy, but one in particular caught my attention. I pulled it out and opened it up. It was a small photo album and on the front was a picture of Rose when she was about fifteen. She was dressed in a body hugging dress and she was blowing a kiss to the camera in a very 'Marilyn Munroe' pose... or should I say a very 'Rose Hathaway' pose. The photos inside mapped her life from about the age of about 6 or 7 with Lissa and an older boy. In later photos I came to the realisation that the older boy must have been Lissa's brother Andre. Rose was so happy back then; her eyes sparkled with life and happiness. I could tell which photos were taken before the accident that killed Lissa's family and those taken after purely by the change in Rose's face. The photo of Rose and Lissa in fairy costumes was one of the funniest ones though.

Her appearance changed again when Adrian started appearing in the photos, she was almost as happy as she used to be, but I could see in her eyes that she still wasn't the same as before. What shocked me the most was when I came to the pictures that included me; I didn't even know that some of these photos had been taken, there were some candid ones here of us sparring in the gym, some where we were laughing together... then there were ones where I was looking at Rose, unaware that a photo was being taken and even _I_ could see the love in my eyes... How we weren't found out sooner was a miracle.

My favourite photo of the two of us was one taken at the recent dance, there were a few here but one stood out amongst them all. We were on the dance floor... Rose was in my arms and we were doing the waltz; to an outsider... the intensity of the looks between us would have suited the dance we were doing, but I remember it differently.... I smiled as my mind went back to that night. It was the only time I was able to hold her and look at her with all the love I could in front of others and get away with it. I pulled the photo out of the small silver corners and touched her image; she was so happy and so beautiful that night.

Her eyes sparkled....

"That's my favourite photo." I hadn't even heard her come up behind me but I stood up as I turned to face her. "That was such a special night." She said smiling.

"Yes, it was. That was the night that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my life was forever bound to yours." I saw pain in her eyes at my words and I knew that I had to make her see that it wasn't a bad thing. I took her hand and walked her back over to the bed. "We need to talk Roza."

She nodded and sat down on the edge, but I wanted a more comfortable position... I lift my brow and made a shooing motion with my hand, telling her I wanted her to move into the middle of the bed. Once I sat beside her; my back against the headboard, I pulled her into my arms and rested my chin on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry I failed you." I said honestly. She looked up to me and I could tell she was going to object, so I put a finger to her lips and shook my head. "I did Rose. I could see how much you were hurting, how much blame you took onto yourself, and I did nothing. You weren't the only one who started a relationship that had the potential to do so much damage. Had I not pushed you into giving into your feelings, this may never have happened. I believe with everything in me that even if we'd kept our relationship as 'professional' as possible until after graduation, we still would have ended up together, but I should have had more respect for your position and responsibilities at the academy to risk you like I did."

"I... I should have..." I shook my head to say that I wasn't finished....

"I love you Roza, with every cell in my body, you are my life force and I let you down. I promised that I would always be there for you, to support you and I wasn't, I let you shoulder all the blame and for that I will never forgive myself." Then for the first time in nearly a month I saw her barriers come down as tears fell from her eyes. My heart broke for the pain she felt. "I wish that I could take away your pain."

I held her face in my hands as I bent forward to kiss them away, then I kissed her cheek and then her lips. Electricity sparked as our lips touched, I hadn't planned on this, I only wanted to hold her and tell her that it wasn't her fault, but in that moment, I couldn't stop myself...and neither could she. She pulled herself up while keeping our lips joined and straddled my lap. My fingers wove into her beautiful hair as she went to work on the buttons of my shirt. Oh God...I loved her so much. My hands wandered down her amazing body as her mouth went down the skin of my neck. As I slid my hands under her shirt, my fingers tingled against her skin. I couldn't think of anything else other than her and my desire to be with her. Our lips once again came together and moved slowly to a dance all their own. Our breathing was increasing as we broke apart to look into each other's eyes.

"Make love to me Dimitri." She said raggedly. We hadn't been together since being banished as I didn't want to push her when I knew she was dealing with so much, but now... I _needed_ to show her just how much she meant to me. I closed the distance between us and took her mouth with mine; her lips were so soft... I pushed her shirt up; brushing the sides of her breasts with my thumbs as I went and then flipped us over so that I was now looking down into her eyes.

"You are the reason for everything I do, you are my world." I whispered as I leant down. I outlined her lips with my tongue, tasting her, feeling the warmth of her breath against my mouth, a moan escaped as my body shivered when her tongue came to meet my own. She brought her lips to mine this time with the same hunger and need that that I had for her... she was all I ever needed. If no other good thing came my way in life again, I would still be the luckiest man on earth with Rose by my side. I kissed down her neck to her shoulder as I pulled the strap of her bra away; she arched her back up so that I could reach the clasp, which I did easily and quickly. As I pulled it away from her body I couldn't help but take in her perfection.

"Never feel guilty for wanting to be loved Roza." The feeling of her body under mine was driving me nuts, I didn't know how much longer I could control myself but I wanted to express so much and taking it slow was the only way I knew how to do that... I kissed her neck and whispered 'I love you' in between each one... over and over. As my hands roamed over her every curve, my mouth went further down her body.

"I need you." She whispered to me.

"You have me....always." I hadn't even been aware that I still had my pants on until I felt her pull the zip down; I quickly took over and kicked them off. "I adore you Roza." I took her breast into my mouth as my hand glided over her washboard stomach and stopped at the top of her lace panties.

"Oh...." She breathed. "Don't stop." I smiled at her words... like I _could_ stop!

"I have _no_ intensions of stopping my love." My lips made their way down her stomach as I trailed my fingers over the top of her lace underwear and then I hooked my fingers on one side. As I slowly pulled them down, I kissed her skin where it had just been. Once they were gone; inch by inch I made my way back up her body, touching and kissing.....tasting. I don't think she realised what she did to me, how she drove me wild... I couldn't wait any longer, as I took her mouth with mine, I entered her.

"_OH God!"_ she yelled into my mouth. Her legs quickly wrapped around my body and her hands wove into my hair, holding me tight against her lips as I reached down to grip her butt. "I...love...you..."

"I love you more." I said against her lips. I don't know how I put thoughts together at this point in time, but I knew that even in fifty years, I would still be in awe of her. Our bodies moved together as one and our eyes locked with one another in silent conversation....words were no longer needed. Our touches and kisses enhanced the feelings that we saw in each other's eyes. I never knew it was possible to love another being as much as I loved Roza right now. Seeing her eyes close as her body shook in pleasure was probably the best sight I have ever seen, and one that I'd never tire of seeing,. To know that I made her feel this way.... it made my heart soar. It wasn't long before I found my own release and then as we laid together still joined; we kissed and caressed and stared into each other's eyes again, neither of us unwilling to break the spell. I don't know how long we stayed that way, but it was Rose that spoke first.

"I've missed you." She said sadly.

"I've missed you more." A smile tried to pull at her lips....

"Thank you for being so patient with me."

I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear that had fallen across her face and kissed her forehead. "Rose?" She looked at me with a look that she knew what was coming. "I know that you feel like you've taken away my chance of being a guardian, but you haven't. My life would have turned out exactly the same as this if you hadn't found us all those months ago, the only difference is that I would still be angry with the world and ill-equipped to have protected Christian for too much longer, but most of all... I wouldn't have had you. You've taken _nothing_ from me, trust me.... Personally...I feel like I've won Lotto." Then the first real smile I've seen in weeks spread across her face.

"I'm sorry I've pushed you away. I've never felt so much....responsibility in my life before. I feel responsible for the lives of the Moroi who came with me, I feel responsible for your decision, for Alberta's, for Mason's and Eddie's decision to leave their moroi.... for all the others downstairs, who for possibly the first time in their lives have no future prospects. They have all worked just as hard as me to be the amazing guardians that they are, and now they're banished when they did nothing to deserve it."

"But not because of you; that's what you're not seeing Rose. They came to their decision because of the actions of one person, and that person wasn't you." Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "That person was the queen. Her actions, her lack of gratitude to what we give up for them are what made their decisions. No-one left because we fell in love." I could see that she knew what I was saying was right, but I also knew it was in her nature to shoulder the responsibility of others. I would just keep saying this until she believed me...that's all. I pulled her into my embrace and held her as we both fell asleep.

The next morning when I woke up, the bed beside me was empty. I rolled over and nuzzled my face into Rose's pillow and breathed in her amazing scent of lavenders. I got up and fixed myself up in the bathroom. When I came out into the living area of her suite I noticed that the large double doors that led to the balcony were open. I walked outside and looked over the gardens that were softly lit by lamp posts. There was no movement around so I went back inside and got changed. I felt a lot better after the talk Rose and I had last night, I will not stand back and let her 'work through it' anymore, I will be there every step of the way from now on, hopefully she feels better this morning too. As I walked down stairs a smile spread across my face, last night's 'activities' went through my mind.

"By that face, I'd say that you had a good night last night Belikov." I looked up to see Mason and Christian standing about six feet in front of me.

"Mmm, it was definitely up there in my 'top ten' best nights of my life..." I heard laughing from my right and saw Adrian walk in from the kitchen with an apple.

"So, did you wear her out that much?" I looked at him confused and slightly annoyed. My relationship with Adrian had improved a lot, but his flirting with Rose still got under my skin. "Well I was expecting to have to fight for my breakfast this morning... Is she still asleep?"

"No, I thought she was already down here." I said. I saw the guys all look to each other and then Christian walked off back into the kitchen with me after him.

"Liss," Christian said. "Have you seen Rose this morning?"

"No, she's still sleeping isn't she? Oh, hi Dimitri. Isn't she with you?"

"No, she wasn't there when I woke up; I thought she was down here with you guys." Lissa closed her eyes but when she opened them less than five seconds later, I could see there was something wrong. "Where is she?" I asked.

"I don't know. I can't contact her."

"What do you mean?" My voice was louder than I'd planned, but I was starting to feel that something wasn't right.

"I can't see anything, I can't.... It's like she asleep....no, unconscious. Everything's just black." I turned to go get Adrian but he was already standing behind me.

"Let me try." He said. He walked back over to the sofas in the lounge room and laid down. It wasn't long and he opened his eyes, he shook his head telling us he couldn't reach her either.

"Is she just blocking?" I asked...

"I don't think so...maybe." Liss said, I could tell she was worried too.

"She'll come back when she's ready, she always does." Christian said. I looked at the others and apart from Lissa; they all seemed to agree with him, but I had a bad feeling... I really thought our talk last night had done some good, I _know_ it did. She wouldn't have just left again, something's not right.


	42. Chapter 40

**Okay, Well, I suppose I've made you guys wait long enough... :-) Here's the next chapter... It has a little suspense..  
The next chapter is a little dark and grusome...  
Anyway... on with the story.**

**Don't forget to review...**

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**Forty**

Dimitri's Point of View

It had been an hour and I still didn't know where Rose was. My stomach was in a knot and the feeling of dread gripped my heart and mind. I couldn't sit here and wait any longer, something isn't right. I stood up suddenly making everyone look at me in surprise.

"Dimitri?" Lissa called behind me. "What's wrong? Is she here?" She was now standing beside me looking out to the trees where I'd been looking.

"No. I can't stay here anymore. Something's not right...she wouldn't have just left."

"I agree. But how are we going to find her?" Just then the window in her room popped into my mind. I turned around and ran up to the room and I knew the others were running behind me. Once there I looked to the ground near the now closed balcony door, looking to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, anything I missed.

"What's going on Belikov?" Mason asked.

"I noticed the window was open when I woke up." I said without looking up to him. "I thought it was odd, but didn't think too much of it at the time, maybe I missed something. Liss can you see if she got dressed this morning?" I reached out my hand to her as I wanted to show her what she was wearing. It was easier to show her rather than have to try to describe it. After she saw what I showed her, she walked off towards the bathroom and I returned to the door that Mason and Eddie were now studying intently.

"I can't find those clothes." She said as she walked from the bedroom. "The clothes she normally wears are still in her cupboard." Rose only had three outfits (other than her black guardian uniform) that she wore around the house. Whenever someone made fun of her, she just said that they were comfortable and she knew she could fight in them. "Two sets of her clothes were in her cupboard, the ones she had on yesterday were in the dirty clothes basket in the bathroom." So wherever she was, she was still in the clothes she wore to bed. Now I really was panicking. I walked out onto the balcony and stared out into the gardens, trying to work out what might have happened.

"Roza..." I whispered to myself. "Where are you?" Then something popped into my mind. Maybe she wasn't paranoid.... I looked back towards the rest of our little 'unusual' family, wondering if I should say something.

"What Dimitri?" Lissa asked me. "I can see by your face you've thought of something, so spill it."

"What if someone has been watching her?" Lissa looked to the others... Over the last few weeks we've all seen Rose get more and more paranoid; she'd say odd things.... we all thought her feelings of being watched were just a figment of her over-tired brains imagination. We were all a little more than concerned that the stress of being banished put more stress on her than even _she_ could cope with, but maybe not. Maybe someone has been watching her and we did nothing...._again!_ "What if someone has been watching and she saw them out there... she would have done whatever she had to do to keep us safe..." _She would have just jumped over the railing.... _I know she would have. I tuned back to the garden and jumped over the railing myself.

"Dimitri!" Liss yelled from Rose's window. "Wait...." I couldn't, I had to find her. I ran towards the tree line hoping to find something there that would give me hope that I was on the right track. God knows how long she'd been gone for before anyone noticed. I stopped once I got to the trees and only a second or two later Mason and Eddie stood beside me.

"Can you see anything?" Eddie asked. I turned to see that both of them were now in full guardian mode.

"No, not yet," I said, "...what do we do now?" They had more experience than me, so for Rose...I would have to show restraint and follow their lead, as much as I wanted to just run and find her, I knew that if we had any chance of that happening, I would have to follow them.

"Okay..." Mason started. "Eddie, go get two other guardians, tell Alberta to wait with the Moroi...keep them under lock and key. This could be a ploy to get access to them by separating us; she needs to be the one to stay with them. Come back a.s.a.p..." He nodded once and then took off at a faster pace than I'd ever seen him run before. I had a feeling that I was yet to see either one of these guys shine... I stood watching him as he took in everything around him but at the same time I could see him formulating a plan. The silence and inactivity were really testing my self control and just as I was about to say something, I saw Eddie and four of the other guardians running towards us.

"They're coming." I said to Mason.

"Yeah I know..." I shook my head at my naivety... of course he knew, he probably knew before I did... "Eddie, take Belamy & Christou with you, spread out 30 feet each and do a sweep." Eddie nodded and handed Mason two earpieces; one for him and one for me. "Contact me if you find anything....no matter how small." I looked into the trees as I fixed my earpiece but my heart hadn't slowed down its rapid pace for the last three hours. "We'll find her, of that you have my word." Mason said beside me.

"I know we will. I won't stop until I do." I said with the utmost conviction. We walked off and spread out. I didn't think I'd find any items on the ground; for one thing...she wouldn't have had anything with her to drop. I had to look for other signs.

"Mason." Alberta's voice crackled in my ear a little while later. "Any sign yet?"

"No... nothing yet but we'll keep looking. Castile, Belamy and Christou have taken then north side of the estate; we're at the south east. How are things with you?"

"We're fine. Check in, in another hour please."

"Okay."

Things were silent for about another half hour when I saw something up ahead. My hand instinctively went to my holster and rested on the hilt of the stake. I slowly dropped down into a crouching position and looked at the decrepit cabin. I never knew this was here and I didn't even know if Lissa knew about it, surely if she did she would have told us to look for her here on the many occasions that Rose had gone missing in the last few weeks. I slowed my breathing and waited to see if there was any movement and after a few minutes I was about to stand up and go look in the dirt covered windows when I heard smashing coming from inside.

"Mason." I whispered.

"Yeah."

"I've found a cabin, there's someone inside. _Shit_!"

"What? Belikov....what's going on? Where are you? Belikov!"

"Strigoi..." I looked down at my watch; the one that Alberta had taken from the academy. It had a GPS system in it that gave us latitude and longitude coordinates which I quickly relayed to the others over the earpieces.

"Don't move until we get there, I'm two minutes out." This was going to be the longest two minutes of my life... I looked at my watch... 10:31 pm.... Okay... two minutes.... I strained to see something through the dirty windows...

10:31pm.... _shit.... _No movement, no sound....

10:32pm.... Looking at the cabin again another strigoi walked around from the back... so that's two outside at least... how many inside.

10:32pm.... _shit, shit, shit...._ I saw movement inside finally but the windows were so dirty I couldn't work out who it was. My heart was beating so hard I was scared that the strigoi would have heard it. I looked down again to my watch....

10:32pm.... Oh for shit sake.... "Where are you guys... there's at least two outside, someone inside but I don't know if it's more strigoi or if it's Rose..."

"We're nearly there." Mason said over the comms. "Listen out for the owl calls we've been practising."

10:33pm.... _Come on.... _It was only a few seconds later that I heard the sounds of the Barred Owl calls that we've practiced for covert times like this. We thought that if we had to find each other in amongst the trees without letting on that we were who we were... then a bird call is what we needed. Owls were quite common here so we went with them. I waited five seconds and called back. Within seconds I felt the others come up behind me.

"Any more?" Mason asked.

"No... Two males, blonde and black hair. Someone inside...." Just then the door to the cabin opened and a female came outside.... not just any female.... "_Hope..." Oh God...what did she do?_

"Petrov..." Mason said quietly into the earpiece. "Three strigoi... one is Hope Ivashkov."

"Oh no...." came her voice in my ear. "Only three?"

"So far..." Our attention was drawn to the cabin...

"Have you been able to get close?" Hope said to the other strigoi.

"No. The wards are still up. We'll have to go get a human if you want us to get into the house."

"We can't, they'll start to get wonder where she is soon, so we don't have enough time. We'll have to come back later."

"What about her?" The blonde guy asked. Hope looked back into the cabin and answered them while keeping her eyes locked to what I was positive was Rose.

"I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm having too much fun at the moment to kill her, plus I need to keep her alive for a little while longer." Without thinking I went to jump up but I was stopped by Eddie and Mason.

"Calm down..." Eddie hissed. "We need to get into position." My blood was boiling and pounding in my ears. I didn't know how I was going to hold on any longer.

"Alberta." Mason said beside me. "We could use a couple more guardians, we're going in... Rose is in trouble. They can't get through the wards. Have Lissa ready."

"We're on our way." Was all she said.

Mason directed Belamy and Christou to the right side of the cabin while he and Eddie were going to go to the left side. My job was to go straight up to the front door and make out that I'd found them on my own, giving the others a chance to take them by surprise.

"Wait for the call Belikov, blow it and she may pay the price." That's all he needed to say to keep me where he wanted, he knew I would do whatever I had to do to ensure Rose's safety. I nodded and it only took them about 30 seconds to get into position and the call came through the comms...

"Go Belikov. Don't get too close if possible, just enough to draw them all out so we know how many we're dealing with." I took my earpiece off and put it in my pants pocket because if she saw that then she'd know I wasn't alone. I stood up when Hope went back inside and the male strigoi turned their backs, I'd only taken a few steps when I stood on a stick.... my hand flew to my holster and whipped out my stake. The two males spun around and seeing me standing there; they hissed before running towards me. They were nearly at me when the cabin door opened and Hope screamed out at them.

"Stop!" She yelled. The two males came to an abrupt halt and within a couple of seconds she stood in front of them. My eyes flicked around the cabin waiting to see if anymore made their presence known. "Well... You're quicker than I thought you'd be lover boy." Her voice was like ice... even for her it was cold...

"Hope?" I had to try to act surprised... I had to ensure that she thought I was on my own.

"I told you that you'd regret choosing her over me. It could have been so easy... You and I could have had a wonderful life together, you could have guarded me and I could have given you everything your heart desired. But no.... you had to choose that piece of _trash_."

"Where is she Hope?" I asked while trying to keep my voice as non-threatening as possible. Her eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down and then she tilted her head to one side.

"Why would you have come out here all alone?"

"I was looking for Rose... everyone else thought she just wanted to be alone. Looks like I came in the right direction." Just then I saw another strigoi come to the door of the cabin... I should have known there'd be more. "You better not have hurt her Hope."

"Or what? Don't worry yourself too much my love... soon you won't even remember her name and you and I can live our lives together as we were meant to..." She quickly glanced at the strigoi either side of her, "check for the others." She ordered, and then they ran off in opposite directions. I knew it wouldn't be long before they were taken down by the other guardians so I reigned in the adrenaline that surged through my body for release at just the right time.

When the screeching and sounds of vicious fighting flooded the silent forest, Hope dropped into a fight stance and hissed at me. "You didn't really think I was alone did you Hope?" I said sarcastically.

"You'll never get her Dimitri." Then she took off towards the cabin. I took off running behind her as fast as I could go; I quickly put the earpiece back in place as I ran...

"She's going back for Rose... I'm following." I wasn't as fast as her and I only hoped that I could get to Rose before she did anything to her. "Hope!" I yelled out. "I never thought you'd be too chicken to fight for me." I had no idea if goading her would get the desired results but I had to try. All I could hear was the cold, hysterical laugh of a strigoi. I finally found myself standing six feet from the cabin; I knew that she and at least one other strigoi were inside... Just as I was about to go in, Mason and Eddie appeared on my left. Mason motioned for Eddie to go around to the back just as Luke and Brad appeared to my right.

With silent hand orders from Mason, we approached the cabin.

"You can come in Dimitri." Hope said evilly. "You have nothing to fear from me..." I looked to Mason but all he did was shrug his shoulders... _What the hell??? _I took a deep breath and slowly walked into the cabin. I took a quick glance to my left and saw nothing before going completely inside. I looked to my right and saw Hope flanked by two more strigoi and she was holding Rose's unconscious body in a headlock; the only light source was a single oil lamp on the table, which was off to one side in-between me and them. I got the message that if I did anything, her neck would be snapped before I could get to her. Even with all the blood that covered her, I couldn't help but notice the bite marks on Rose's neck; her face was badly beaten and cut. I didn't take too much notice of the rest of her, I just stared at Hope and felt anger grip me like I'd never felt before. I could almost feel it flow through my entire body with each beat of my heart.... no matter how this ended; the three strigoi in front of me would _not_ walk out of here.

"She had better be alive Hope, for your sake." I said coldly.

"I told you my love..." she said with an even colder smile. "You won't mind so much soon... But to answer your question or statement as the case may be, yes... she is still alive. But for only one reason; she will be your first meal. I've left just enough for you, just come over here and offer me your neck and when the change is complete, she'll be here for you to quench your thirst." My stomach rolled as I tried to think of something to do.

"Walk to her slowly..." Mason's voice sounded in my ear. "We're watching you. When you get a couple of feet away, we'll come in. Luke is poised to come through the window behind her. When you see him, get to Rose...she'll be distracted enough to give you enough time. Don't hesitate." _Don't hesitate.... _That was one of the first lessons Rose had drummed into me... This very scenario, she told me that one day I would probably come across a strigoi that I knew... I couldn't hesitate or else someone would pay with their did she know that _her_ life would be the one in the balance when the situation arose....

I slowly started to walk towards her; my eyes going from Hope to the two smirking strigoi either side of her and then to Rose, my body in an almost adrenaline overload. I was willing her to wake up, I needed to see that she was alright, but I knew she wouldn't. If Hope had taken as much blood as she'd implied, I knew that Rose would be in no position to help in her rescue.

"Come on Dimitri... I'm getting a little impatient. I don't bite..... Oh, yes I do..." she said laughing at her own joke. As my eyes locked with Hopes, I saw Luke's body flying towards the window and I readied myself to spring over to Rose. At the very moment that the glass smashed and Hope turned to see what was happening, I pounced. Luke's body smashed into one of her shoulders from behind and my left shoulder rammed into her stomach, then in a split second later my arms grabbed around Rose's waist. As Rose and I landed on the wooden floorboards, Mason and Eddie came running into the cabin. The strigoi screeched and hissed as the fighting broke out.

I quickly pulled Rose to the side and turned to face the fighting. Just as I was about to join in, Alberta and two other guardians ran into the cabin. This was what every guardian feared...fighting in small enclosures was dangerous, but sometimes it was unavoidable and we were trained to handle all situations. It was now seven experienced guardians against three young strigoi so I turned my attention back to Rose.

"Baby...can you hear me?" I whispered as I felt for her pulse. It was weak, but it was steady. I looked back to see Mason push his stake into Hopes chest; she let out a terrible scream as she clawed at the metal that was protruding from her ribcage but in no more than two or three seconds her eyelids closed and she fell to the floor dead, the other two strigoi; the ones that had previously been human, soon followed her. I quickly picked Rose up into my arms and ran out of the cabin with every ounce of speed that my adrenaline afforded me. The other guardians silently surrounded us as we made our way back to the mansion. I could see that Lissa, Christian and Adrian were waiting near the pool as we broke through the tree line and once we were inside the safety of the wards, they came running to meet us.

"Don't say anything to them yet." Said Alberta quietly. We all knew what was coming, but nothing we could say now would change anything, so we would deal with all of that later.

"_ROSE_!" Lissa yelled... Her face was streaked with tears as she got to us, she looked dreadful... exhausted.

"Come inside Liss..." I said to her while not breaking stride. She nodded and followed me into the lounge room where I gently placed Rose onto the sofa. Lissa knelt down beside her and placed her hands over her bloodied face and chest as Adrian worked on her legs. Before now, I hadn't looked too closely to Rose's injuries. I could now see that she had a compound fracture on one leg as the end of her shin bone had come through the skin and I could see the other leg was broken too. My stomach turned at the thought of the torture she'd gone through at Hope's hands, and I had to physically swallow the sick feeling that threatened to consume me. I couldn't fall apart, no yet.

I watched as Lissa healed Rose's ribs, her broken hands, dislocated shoulder. I hadn't realised what had been done to her face until it was being healed. Her cheek bone resumed its normal shape but I had thought that it was just blood that caked her face, but when the skin on her cheek started to knit together I realised what had happened and a sob racked through my chest.

"That's all I can do." Liss said weakly, exhausted she collapsed to the floor. I jumped forward to catch her but got to her the same time as Christian. I looked up and saw Luke dragging Adrian over to an armchair.

"I've got her....thanks." Christian said to me. I nodded to him and went back to Rose.

"She's healed but there's nothing that I can do for the blood loss." Lissa said as she looked to me.

"Is she going to be alright without a transfusion?" I asked.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on how much blood she's lost." I couldn't lose her... but I didn't know how to help her either. As I stared at her pale face I remembered something...

"I'll be right back." I jumped up and ran up the stairs to Rose's room. I went straight to her desk and rifled through the papers but couldn't find it. I opened each drawer... still nothing... _"Shit! _What did she do with it...?" I said in a panic... I went over to the bedside table and rummaged through those drawers but still came up empty handed. I frantically looked around the room and my eyes landed on her business case sitting on the ground under the desk. I went over to it and opened it up, I carefully went through all the papers that were in there and about halfway through, I found what I was looking for. I ran downstairs again as fast as I could go and saw everyone's faces staring back at me. "Found it..." I said.

"What are you going on about?" Mason asked.

"When we were dropped off at the airport, the guardian who drove us gave Rose a note. I wasn't purposely listening, but I heard him say that when we got to wherever we were going, that Rose should ring these people if we ever needed help. I don't know who they are or if they _can_ help... but it's worth a try." Alberta held out her hand and I gave her the note; she started punching numbers into her phone as she walked away; I only hoped that whoever these people were, that they could help Roza.

"My name is Guardian Alberta Petrov; I am one of the guardians who were banished along with Rosemarie Hathaway. I was given this number to call if we ever needed help." As worried as everyone was about Rose, no-one made a sound while Alberta was on the phone.

"Yes...."

"Well, she was taken by strigoi and she's lost a lot of blood......."

"Yes....."

"Ah, the Dashkov estate, Pennsylvania."

"Yes....."

"Thank you."

We only heard one side to the conversation and Mason was about to ask her what was going on when Alberta took a deep breath and turned to face us.

"Well, the first number is for an Alchemist, her name is Sydney and she's on her way. They'll be here in fifteen minutes." I had no idea who she was talking about but the other guardians all nodded their heads. I looked over to Lissa but she looked as confused as I was. I turned back to Rose and gently stroked her cheek with my fingers; I didn't realise I was crying until a tear dropped onto my arm. I bent forward and softly kissed her lips.

"I love you Roza, don't leave me. Hold on, help is coming..." I whispered to her. I put my forehead against hers as I fought to control my emotions, my body shook with silent sobs...I had to be strong for her...this was still not the time to fall apart. I don't know how long I stayed in that position but when I sat up, I was alone with Rose.

I wish this... Sydney person would hurry the hell up... What did Alberta call her?

An Alchemist?


	43. Chapter 41

**Hi Everyone. Well this chapter just kept getting bigger and bigger, but I don't think you guys mind! ;-)  
This chapter is quite dark and gorey (in Rose's POV) so if you don't like that sort of stuff, go down  
to where Lissa's POV starts off... There's a bit in there too, but not a lot. **

**I never thought the story would go in this direction but it did... LOL I hope you like it..  
Let me know what you all thought of it. Sandy**

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**Forty One**

Rose's Point of View.

I felt myself waking up and memories of last night flooded through my mind. A smile pulled at my mouth and I opened my eyes and found myself looking at Dimitri's profile. He was lying on his back with his hands laced together over his chest. I layed there watching him and going over everything he'd said. He was right, about a lot of things. His movement snapped me out of my thoughts and he rolled over to face me.... Oh God he was stunning; I would never tire of looking at him. I knew that I was more than capable of handling myself against nearly anything bad in this world, but when he wrapped his strong arms around me.... I felt like the most protected being in this world. I dreaded the day that someone made me choose between him and Lissa... I don't know if I could be without him, but I knew I couldn't leave Liss either. I watched him sleep a little while longer but then got up and went to the bathroom, I gave my teeth a quick clean and walked outside into the living area of my suite. I noticed that the sun hadn't quite set yet so I opened the large glass panelled doors and walked out onto the balcony. I closed my eyes briefly and enjoyed the last bit of warmth that touched my face from the setting sun.

When I opened my eyes again, I watched the sun slowly disappear behind the trees...within a few short minutes it would go below the horizon and my guarding duty would begin. I looked down at the manicured gardens below my balcony and saw the lampposts light up. That's when I felt the familiar feeling roll in the pit of my stomach.... My eyes quickly scanned around the trees and that's when I saw him – a blonde strigoi, standing just outside the wards. He went to his right and he looked like he was trying to find a weak spot in the wards... I didn't have time to get dressed or contact anyone, plus it was only one strigoi...nothing I couldn't handle quickly by myself. I darted back into my suite and grabbed my stake from the desk. I turned around and ran back out onto the balcony and in one step; I leapt over the rail and landed easily on the ground below. Without missing a beat, I ran towards the trees. The strigoi saw me and slowly backed into the darkness... I was very much aware of the fact that the sun was now almost completely gone, but I couldn't allow this strigoi to find a way in, or go back to wherever he came from and let some of his 'friends' know he'd found dinner....

I hadn't gone into the trees very far when the strigoi stopped and crouched down into a fighting position... "Okay, let's do this shall we?" I said to him. As I crouched down and we started to circle one another, I heard a voice in my head... a memory. _'Do not linger, otherwise all hope will be lost and the flowers will freeze'. _It was a voice I hadn't heard in a long time...crazy old Alice, and why this memory now? I waited for him to make his move, but he didn't... this was quite uncommon for them to wait for us to attack; they normally couldn't control themselves long enough to wait and it was pissing me off to say the least. I decided to 'not linger'...I attacked. I flew at the blonde strigoi who looked like he was once human and aimed a kick to his head, but he was good...probably a trained fighter in his previous life. He blocked my kicks as well as most guardians would have, so I had to change my fighting technique. I went in to lay a punch to his shoulder but as I came in close he back handed me straight into the air. I landed a good thirty or forty feet way...into a tree. The blow was hard and I fell to the ground struggling to pull the air back into my winded lungs. Within an instant the blonde strigoi was in front of me again. I somehow stood up and got back into the fighting stance.

"Huh... she said you were tough." I heard his words, but couldn't comprehend what he meant, maybe the blow from the tree was harder than I realised. I felt some hard hit my head from behind and then there was nothing....

The first thing I was aware of was the pain at the back of my head. It quickly spread from there to encapsulate my entire skull... I was _freezing_ and I could feel my body shaking from deep within. _What in the hell happened...? _I opened my eyes slightly but couldn't see very much as it was almost completely dark were we were, I could only just make out the silhouettes of three people standing about twenty feet in front of me. I couldn't see who they were, but from the nausea in my stomach, I knew exactly _what_ they were. I blinked a few times clearing the blurriness of my eyes.

"She's awake. Go tell the boss." The male walked to the door and went outside. The one that spoke slowly walked towards me but stopped about halfway.

"You better hope you tied me up well you prick, because if you didn't, you're not going to last long." I knew that my threats would fall on deaf ears; strigoi never feared anything that came from a guardian's mouth...not until they died that was. His cold, calculating laugh sent chills down my spine.

"They always say that, yet here I am...still. Plus, I'm not the one tied to a chair... You know, I expected more of a fight from you though. The great Rose Hathaway... Don't see anything '_great'_ about you really; I've had better fights with Moroi."

"That's because she's _distracted_..." came a voice that I knew rather well. She walked inside and came to stand beside the other strigoi who then lit up an oil lamp that was sitting on the table next to where they stood. "I told you not mess with me _blood whore_."

"How could you do this to Adrian, Hope? He loves you."

"_No_, he doesn't. He loves _you_...they _all_ love you. So, I figured there is only one way to rectify the situation; eliminate the problem. You're my problem Rose; if you're not here to love, then everything can go back to how it should be." Her voice swung between venom filled and an insane delight.

"One problem with that reasoning Hope... You're strigoi now; things can't go back to how you think it should be. Your brother can't love you...not how are now. Dimitri _never_ loved you... Everything you had together was a lie, the lie you forced upon him. Even if you kill me now, he will never love you." Within an instant her cold, deathly pale face was an inch away from mine, the red ring blazed in her eyes with pure evil.

"Oh...we'll be together....forever, don't you worry about that. Once he's by my side, all thoughts of you will vanish, other than the fact that you'll be his first meal, and he'll _want_ to be with me, I won't have to make him." She put a finger onto my cheek and ran her talon like fingernail down towards my neck, cutting the skin as it went; the pain was like fire on my skin, but somehow I kept my guardian mask on much to her dismay. "Oh come on Rose... scream for me, I know you want to, I _know_ that hurt." I just clenched my teeth and glared at her, I knew now that she was going to do whatever she could to make me scream, to make me plead for mercy.... I would not give her that satisfaction.

"Are you scared Rose?"

"No... I'm cold."

"Sure..."

Hope straightened up and walked around behind me, trailing her hand along my shoulder and then around to my back, scratching my skin as she went. I braced myself for the next attack that I knew wouldn't be far away.

"You took everyone I loved Rose." She hissed into my ear, her cold breath made me shiver more but I doubt she noticed since I'd been constantly shivering since I woke up. "I have to make you _pay_ for that, I no longer have parents, I can no longer see my aunt, but I _will_ have my brother and Dimitri again. I may even take Lissa; I've always wanted a big sister." I winced as I felt her finger nail dig into my back and slice its way over to my shoulder, but I breathed through it as the blood dripped down my back. "I _am_ going to make you scream Rose....plead for death, for mercy..."

"_Never_! And you'll never get near them either." I hissed to her.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. All you had to do was leave Dimitri alone, let him come back to me and all of this could have been avoided. You and your precious Lissa would still be at the academy; my brother would still be there... all the guardians would still be where they belong, but no....you just couldn't keep your hands off what didn't belong to you."

"Dimitri has never 'belonged' to anyone, least of all you." Before I knew what happened, she backhanded me; sending me across the room, chair and all. My ears rang as I landed hard on my shoulder and I felt it dislocate but my body skidded along the rough, unkempt floor boards taking skin with them. I only stopped when I hit the stone hearth of the cold, dead fire place and the uneven rocks that made up the hearth bit into the skin of my face, smashing my cheekbone in the process; I couldn't help the grunt of agony that escaped from my body. Even with stars prickling at my vision, I was still conscious enough to hear the cackling of the three strigoi around me. I also knew that Liss would be feeling everything I was feeling, but I was in too much pain to block it out... to shield her.

"Pick her up... I haven't finished with her by a long shot." Hope growled. I felt myself yanked up off the floor and place back into an upright position, sending immense pain from my shoulder to wash over me. I held in the scream that wanted to come out, but I couldn't stop the tears...I felt myself falling into blackness and hoped that I would stay there for the rest of the torture. But I was snapped back into reality by the sting of ice water being thrown over me; I was so cold now that my muscles were painfully cramping up.

"I thought some nice warm water would heat you up... Oh, I'm sorry... that was ice water... My bad..." She was really enjoying this.

I tried to open my eyes, but I found that my left eye was swelling fast and would soon be closed. "Oh Rosie... You're not so pretty anymore." She said with a laugh. "Our boys wouldn't think too much of your looks if they could see you now my dear. Do you know what human men did to whores back in 18th century England? No...? Well, when a man found a whore that had done something that deserved punishment, he had to ensure that she was punished appropriately or he may have found one that he took a particular liking to and wanted to ensure she'd stay a whore; so he do things to her face so that everyone would know _exactly_ what she was.... He would get his pocketknife out and he would put the end into her mouth like this...." I didn't know if the shaking of my body was still from being wet and freezing or if it was from fear as she put her talon like fingernail against the corner of my mouth.

"And then he'd do this...." She laughed hysterically as she cut the skin from the corner of my mouth into my cheek. I could no longer hold back the scream; it ripped from my body as I felt the blood pour from my face. "Now _that's_ more like it!" She leant forward smiling and licked the blood from my face. Within an instant the other two were beside her.

"Give us some..." the blonde growled.

"_Get back you fools._ I'm not ready to kill her just yet, that's _not_ part of the plan and you know it." As splotches of black danced in front of my eyes once more, I tried to fathom what she meant by 'the plan'. But the pain was so intense I couldn't wrap my brain around it. "Have the wards been checked yet?" She asked. My body was shaking uncontrollably now from, cold...fear....shock... maybe a bit of everything... The worst part was knowing that she was nowhere near finished with me.

"I'll go check with the others." The blonde said. _The others...? _

"Well Rose... I've been very patient over the last few weeks. Would you like to know what's happened since you've been gone from the academy?" Without waiting for a reply, she continued... "Well, losing Dimitri was very hard on me as you may not have realised and they tried to hold me in the clinic; they said that I was 'mentally unstable'. Could you believe that?"

"Yes..." I growled, I know I probably shouldn't have provoked her but her question just screamed to be answered.

"_SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!"_ She screamed into my face. "Interrupt me again and I may lose what little control I have left _bitch_. Anyway.... as I was saying, they tried to hospitalise me, so for a week before I left, I compelled everyone into believing that once I'd left the academy they wouldn't remember that I'd even been there. Does that sound right?" She said screwing up her face in thought, and then she shrugged her shoulders and continued.

"It was quite difficult to accomplish actually but I couldn't let you guys find out that I wasn't there anymore now could I? Then once that was accomplished, I took my first victim... Who knew that we moroi had such tasty blood? Dr Olendzky was delicious! I compelled her into letting me out of the clinic and writing her resignation and then she drove me out of the school in her car. Once we were outside of the wards, she pulled over to the side of the road and I drank from her until her death flowed into me." She took a deep breath and smiled as she looked off into a distant memory. "Now I know what they mean by 'you always remember your first'..." She laughed evilly at what she thought was a joke; the other two joined her. I couldn't believe what she'd done to Dr Olendzky, I'd known her nearly all my life, she'd saved my life on many occasions over the years and now she was gone.

I closed my one working eye as tears for my friend fell onto my now numb cheeks. But they soon flew open as Hope continued her torture.

"I didn't say you could die... _Open your eyes!_" She slammed her fists onto the back of my hands that were tied onto the chair arms; breaking the bones instantly. "Now tell me that he was worth all of _this_...." she was only an inch or so from my face but I was in so much pain all I could do was stare at her.

"Anyway...back to the story shall we? After I left, I awakened my companions here and came looking for you. Did you know that the 'powers that be' are well aware of where you are? It's true.... my aunt had you followed. The kind Doctor was good enough to tell me that too... We've been here for a couple of weeks now...watching your movements, watching your slow decline into depression, your disappearing acts... Thank you for that too, you made it all that much easier for us to get to you. It was actually a show of my self control to not have taken you before now... Your 'followers' won't even miss you...not for a while anyway. They'll probably think that you're off on one of your little 'days off'.... so I have a good ten to twelve hours with you...all...to....myself! Imagine the things we could do in that time.... Won't it be fun?" Her cold red ringed eyes sparkled in excitement, but my injuries were starting to numb.... I could only hope that they'd stay that way.

"You'd better kill me now Hope..." My slurred voice came out of my torn mouth with more hate than I'd ever heard before, but it made no difference to her.

"Or what? You gonna kill me....?" Her laugh was cold and evil. "In the state you're in Rose, even a cockroach would be safe from you." Hope glanced at her two minions and they came around to either side of me and gripped my arms. I winced when my dislocated arm was grabbed roughly. "I hate you like I hate no other being in this world." She spat. Then she slammed her fist into my ribs and I felt them snap. I struggled to breathe in and that simple action started me coughing. Blood splattered from my lips onto her shirt but I could feel myself getting heavier and heavier, my body couldn't take this torture and pain for too much longer, something would have to give soon. My only hope now was if Dimitri came bursting in... so I kept my one eye on the door, willing it to open...but it didn't....

"They're not coming Hope, and she's not going to last much longer, you can hear her heart as well as we can. Let's share while she's still warm...ish... You know how they taste once they're dead." The strigoi behind me was like a kid on Christmas morning, barely containing his excitement at opening his presents, and for a minute I thought Hope was actually considering his argument. Then an evil smile spread across her face.

"In a minute... I actually thought she was strong enough to last longer than she has... quite disappointing Rose."

"Sorry 'bout that." I said in a croaky voice. I may be giving up, but I'll go down with as much sarcasm as I can muster up.

"Hold her up boys." I yelled out in pain as they held me up by my arms; my face now in line with Hopes. She reached down and grabbed one of my legs and before I realised what she was about to do, more pain shot up into my body as she snapped the bones.

"AAHHH!" I screamed... "_Stop it_... no more...." I could hardly move my lips but the words came out before I could stop them; the pain was more than I could handle. "No more..." I whispered.

"YES!!!" She yelled triumphantly. She started to giggle and bounce with excitement.... "I told you you'd scream for me....beg for death, for mercy... And all I had to do was break your leg? _Huh_!....I should have thought about that to begin with." She then took my other leg but there was nothing I could do to stop her, nearly every part of me was broken. She put more effort into this one... the bone snapped and I screamed again... sobs racked from my body before the pain pulled at my consciousness and as I fell once more into an abyss of darkness...Dimitri's smiling face was the last thing I saw. At least now I wouldn't have to see the end coming...

Lissa's Point Of View.

After Dimitri and the others left, I couldn't sit still. I knew something was wrong... I could feel it. Only Dimitri felt the same way, the others thought she'd just gone off again.

"Liss, sit down." Christian said. "It's no use getting yourself all worked up, it can't help Rose and if she is just walking around, what's going to happen if she draws all your negativity from you. She'll end up hurting someone or herself. You need to calm down." I looked into his eyes and knew he was right. I sat down beside him and he held me in his arms. "She'll be alright, she's tough."

"She's not as tough as everyone thinks she is Christian. She's a guardian; she only lets people see what she wants them to see. Underneath the facade is the most wonderful, loyal and compassionate person I've ever met." After a couple of hours, I was really getting nervous, I hadn't heard anything from Dimitri, Alberta would go outside every now and then but she wouldn't say anything to me when she'd come back inside. Then I felt the worst pain I'd ever felt... My cheek burned... My hand instinctively went up to my face... and I could feel Rose's fear and anger. I started to feel so cold....

"What's wrong Liss? Why are you shivering?"

"She's in pain.... so much pain...and she's freezing."

"Princess?" Alberta crouched down in front of me. "Can you see where she is?" I closed my eyes and went into Rose's head... I was in a dark room... and oil heater on the table.... That's when I heard her...

"Oh come on Rose... scream for me, I know you want to, I know that hurt."

_Hope! _I thought to myself.... Hope has her, Hope is _Strigoi...!_ "AAAHHHH!" I screamed... I was pulled back into my own mind by my pain...our pain. Christian gripped me in his arms as Alberta tried to get my attention.

"Liss? Princess?" They both said frightened.

"My back...." I whimpered out... "She's cutting my back..." I was pulled back to Rose and listened to the rantings of a deranged strigoi Hope, she was nuts before but now she was.... psychotic. I felt myself being smashed on the side of the face, pain shot through my shoulder and then my face. I pulled myself away from her...

"It's Hope..." I said to Alberta. She looked at me with knowing eyes but then she glanced up behind me. I turned around to see Adrian standing there, his face scrunched up in pain. "Adrian... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Hope has Rose?" Adrian asked. I nodded. "How, how was she able to get Rose? How could _she_ be hurting Rose?" He knew...he just couldn't face it.

"Adrian, she's not Hope anymore..." He gasped and staggered back; Guardian Foster caught him before he fell and brought him around to one of the chairs. "_AAAHHHH!_" I screamed again holding my cheek... I was sucked back into Rose's head...

"Get back you fools. I'm not ready to kill her just yet, that's _not_ part of the plan and you know it." Hope hissed... _Plan? She has a plan? _"Have the wards been checked yet?" I pulled back with everything I could and found Alberta still in front of me.

"She's sending someone to test the wards.... She says she has a plan..." I was crying from the pain that racked my body, I don't know how Rose was handling it; it was almost too much for me to bear. As pain emanated up my forearms from my hands, I gripped them to my chest; I knew that her hands had just been broken. "She's breaking her.... breaking her bones..." I sobbed as I continued to shiver... Adrian jumped up from his chair and ran to the kitchen; we could all hear him being sick. I wish that was all I could feel... but I knew that Hope wasn't finished with her torture. I went back to Rose to see if I could talk to her. I tried time and time again, but Rose was just in too much pain. From the pictures in Rose's mind, I could see that Hope had killed Dr Olendzky, that's how she turned strigoi... Hope was the one who has been watching Rose these last few weeks and we'd all thought it was her imagination.

I moaned in pain as I..._we_ were gripped from behind. Pain shot through my body as I felt Rose's ribs crack, I could taste the blood in my mouth, our mouth... The other strigoi wanted to drain her now and for a moment I thought Hope was going to relent, but her madness and strigoi nature won out... she had to go further....

"Hold her up boys." Hope ordered. We both yelled out in pain as we were lifted off the ground. Seeing Hopes blood red ringed eyes only an inch away from me sent fear into every corner of my soul. I was about to pull away from Rose when my...her leg was snapped like a twig. I tried desperately to go back to myself but the pain was too much, it anchored me to Rose like never before, I screamed and screamed and tried to get out... I tried to concentrate on Christian...to go back to him, but then more pain... the other leg.... her last thought was of Dimitri as everything went black and I found my way back to myself....

"_Oh.... MY GOD!...."_ I sobbed uncontrollably... I cried so hard it was almost a scream... the pain she felt should never have been felt by another living being. I couldn't help her..... Could I? I looked over to where Adrian was sitting before and saw his tear streaked face; it was blank. He'd heard everything that Hope had done to Rose, step by step. He knew that very soon, either the woman he loved or his sister was about to die, even if his sister was now strigoi...that knowledge was still hard.

"Princess.... what's going on?" Mike Foster said in front of me. I looked at him wondering where Alberta was, I was sure that she was just in front of me a few seconds ago... "Is she....?"

"No... She's still alive... barely." I said as I stood up and went over to Adrian. "_Adrian_...? _Look_ at me Adrian. I need your help, Rose needs our help." At the mention of Rose's name, his eyes opened and he looked at me. The pain I saw in his eyes was so deep, I don't know if he'll ever recover from this. "I don't know if this will work, but I have to try..."

"What do you need?" He said in a broken voice.

"I'm going to try to heal Rose... I'm going to go into her mind and try to heal her or at least give her something that will keep her alive long enough for the others to get to her. But I need your help, I need you to help me, help Rose..." He nodded so I sat down beside him and we locked hands. He hadn't had a drink since she went missing, knowing that she may need healing and the aura's and spirit's darkness was taking their toll on him, especially after what he'd just witnessed. I gripped Adrian's hands; closed my eyes and went to Rose's dark, silent mind... I could feel that she was still alive, but she was now unconscious, for which I was grateful, at least now she wasn't in pain. I reached down to touch the healing magic in my soul and sent it out through the bond. I felt more power than I'd felt before and I could only guess that it was Adrian giving me what he could. I couldn't feel that I was healing her like I normally can, but it did feel as though my magic was going somewhere... When I felt weakness take over, I opened my eyes and prayed that it was enough....

"Did it work?" Adrian said as exhausted as me.

"I'm not sure." I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. "Now we wait." I said.


	44. Chapter 42

**Hi Everyone, ****Sorry for taking so long to update... I've been meaning to answer all of your reviews, but I've been busy....  
So, I will answer them and any that you want to send in after this chapter, I promise... :-)**

**Not long to go now... Only 13 days to go here in Australia... Woo Hoo! The bookstore said that they sometimes get them a day earlier  
and if that happens this time, they'll ring... So, just warning you all, I may be absent! hehehe I'll try not to be as I'm a few  
chapters ahead of myself now, so I should be right to update... Argh! I'm babbling....**

**On with the show..... Sandy**

* * *

**Forty Two**

Rose's Point of View.

I could hear the muffled sounds of voices all around me, but I couldn't make out what the words were. I felt so disorientated... _What's going on? _I thought to myself.

_Rose? _I nearly cried at the sound of her voice. I longed to hear two voices; hers and Dimitri's.

_Lissa? _I felt someone touch my shoulders...I think.

"Rose... Can you hear me?" I heard Lissa again and my heartbeat went a little faster. I turned my head towards her voice but I felt stiff all over, like I'd gone ten rounds with a bus and lost...

"Liss?"

"Oh God Rose... Open your eyes darl..." My eyes wouldn't open at first; it was like they were stuck together with glue... Finally they popped open but I closed them again because of the bright lights in the room. As I blinked, the blurriness of my vision cleared and I could now see Lissa sitting beside me on the left and holding my hand. I smiled seeing her beautiful face but then noticed that someone was on my right. I slowly turned my head and found myself looking into the most handsome face I'd ever seen.... the man I loved with all of my heart and soul.

"Hey you." I said with a scratchy voice. His hand came to my cheek and I leaned into his touch.

"Welcome back gorgeous..." I could see pain in his eyes and I knew that he hadn't had much sleep; the dark circles under his eyes were not a good look on him. He hadn't shaved in a while either, but _that _I didn't mind... the stubble made him look slightly more sexy than usual...something I never thought was possible.

"I love you." I said with a small smile.

"I love you more." He said back to me. I wanted to say more to him but I was so tired, I gave a yawn as my eyes closed and I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

The next time I felt myself waking up; I tried to move only to find myself in someone's embrace. I opened my eyes and found Dimitri beside me holding me firmly but he was asleep. I smiled as I turned my head to see Adrian sitting in chair beside my bed.

"Hello little Dhampir." He said quietly. I reached a hand out to him and he leant forward to take it in his own.

"You look tired, why aren't you sleeping Adrian?" I asked him.

"A bad few days... I'll be right soon." He said noticing my concern. Something about the sadness in his eyes and words confused me.... My forehead crumpled and I squeezed his hand in mine.

"What's wrong lover?" He smiled at my nickname for him but it didn't reach his beautiful green eyes. He was so sad; I didn't need to see aura's to see that.

"Nothing important. You need to rest, we'll talk more later. I'm glad to see your beautiful eyes again." He slowly stood up and leant over the bed to hold my face in his hands. "I love you little Dhampir; always have, always will, don't ever forget that." He kissed my forehead and then stared into my eyes. "I'll let you sleep."

"Adrian, what's Lissa doing?"

"She's helping put up more wards, she thinks adding spirit will strengthen them." I could feel her using her magic; I just hoped it wouldn't get too much. He stood up to his full height and walked over to the door but before he left he blew me a kiss.

I turned back to look at Dimitri and smiled as I looked into his deep brown eyes.

"How long were you awake?" I asked him.

"Since you woke up. How do you feel?"

"Tired... stiff. I feel like I've been in a car crash – again." I gave a little laugh but his face didn't change. "Why is everyone so sad?" He shifted his weight and sat us both up more in the bed.

"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked me. I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath and then smiled as I remembered our night together. When I looked at him and he must have realised what I'd been thinking of. "As memorable as that night was... what else?" He said with a smile.

"Um... waking up beside you... then I got up, went to the bathroom... walked out onto the balcony and watched the sun go down..." My face fell as I remembered the nausea and seeing the strigoi in the trees... once that vision entered my mind everything else came back like a tidal wave... My heart rate picked up, I could feel my body start to shake... darkness started to cloud my thoughts...

"Roza... Look at me." Then I saw...._her!_

"HOPE! That _BITCH_..." I yelled... Dimitri held me firmly in his grip as I struggled. What she did to me.... I _had_ to make her pay.

"Rose... _no_.... Look at me..." He pulled me into his body as I continued to fight him.

"_NO_! I have to _KILL _her. I have to kill her... _Let me go!_" I struggled and kicked out, but my legs just got caught up in the sheets; his grip was like a vice. I've never felt so much loathing for another being before in my life... she deserved to die... excruciatingly slow and painfully.

"This isn't you..." He was now laying half on top of me; holding my legs down with his own.

"_Dimitri_?" I could hear Lissa's voice – somewhere, but I couldn't seem to snap out of it. "I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking..." She said. I let out scream of frustration as I fought against him.

"Rose... Roza. Listen to my voice, this isn't you. Look at my face." His voice was so calm, so soothing, I don't know how he did it but he managed to grab a hold of my chin with one hand while I struggled and he turned my face to look at him. "Look at me... concentrate on my voice. You're safe, she's dead."

_She's dead?_ Those words were like a plug being pulled from a bathtub... the darkness started to slowly drain away.

"That's it... keep looking at me." I could feel my thoughts getting louder in my head as more darkness left me, my breathing started to slow. I stared into his deep, warm brown eyes that were only inches from my own; eyes that somehow had the power to speak to my very soul.

_Rose, can you hear me?_

_Liss?_

_Keep listening to Dimitri, concentrate on him. It will pass, I'm sorry._

"I love you..." he said with so much emotion. A single tear escaped from his eye and fell onto my cheek. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't get to you sooner." He said. His voice was pained and guilt-ridden. I leant forward and rested my head against his chest; I shut everything out other than the sound of his heart.

_Thump... thump, thump.... thump...thump, thump..._

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm here, alive, so you were obviously not too late. That's all that matters." I wanted to say more, but every word got slower and quieter. Each beat of his heart calmed me; each beat took more and more of the darkness away from me until it was completely gone. I don't know when it happened but I fell asleep to the steady rhythm at my ear.

I was expecting to dream so when I found myself walking around in the grounds that surrounded the mansion; my eyes went to the spot that I'd seen one of Hope's goons. My heart rate started to increase as the expectation of a repeat of Hope's torture seemed imminent.

"Little Dhampir." I turned quickly to see Adrian behind me. A sob instantly escaped as I realised that Adrian was with me. I ran into his arms, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"Thank you...." I said with my face in the crook of his neck.

"For what darl?"

"For being here, I don't think I could have handled.... Adrian....I'm so sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for? You did nothing wrong."

"If I hadn't..." He shook his head and put a finger to my lips as he lowered me back to the ground.

"Rose.... You did _nothing _wrong alright. You fell in love and that is a wonderful thing. Trust me, loving you _is_ wonderful and rewarding..." a smile now touched his lips. "...and right. It's nothing to be ashamed of and no-one, not even my sister had the right to make you feel like you were unworthy of it. You may not be Moroi Rose, but you have more class, more dignity and are more deserving of the best things in life than any Moroi I know." He put his hands either side of my face and lent in to kiss me.

Even though we weren't together anymore, Adrian and I still loved one another; we always would. It wasn't the type of love that I felt for Dimitri; it wasn't even close. We didn't break up because of a lack of love; that was never our problem. In our world there were too many things that would have always stood in our way of true happiness. What Hope did to us was wrong, but if it hadn't have been her, it would have been someone or something else. The time for a Dhampir and Moroi relationship, especially a Royal Moroi to be accepted would come one day, just not now...not for Adrian and I.

The kiss was kind and loving; it was a kiss between two friends who loved one another deeply, but as friends. When we broke apart Adrian took a deep breath and sighed.

"I've missed that, I've missed you." He pulled me into him and held me tight.

"I _am_ sorry Adrian, for all pain that you're feeling right now."

"Pain caused solely by my sister's actions. Every time I look at what has or is upsetting me, she is at the root of it all. Losing you, seeing you in pain, your banishment, what happened the other day.... It's all because of her." I pulled away to look at him and he had tears falling down his cheek so I reached up and wiped them away. "I'm mourning the loss of my sister, not her death... I'm mourning the fact that I've lost the sister that used to be so sweet and loving. But she hasn't been _that_ sister for a while now; I lost _her_ a long time ago... What happened...out there, it was for the best."

"Adrian..."

"No... listen. She was mentally unstable; she has been for quite a while. If she wasn't, she would never have done what she did to Dimitri up north years ago... not just what she did to him at St Vlad's; she would never have done what she did to you either. She would have ended up living in a straight jacket for the rest of her life, this way... people won't even remember that she was there; her memory will just fade instead of people remembering that she turned... This is for the best."

"But what about your parents? They won't know what happened to her, they know she went to St Vlad's."

"I'll be handling that soon. Plans are in motion." I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's been a while since you were taken."

"How long?"

"A _week_!" I was shocked.... I'd never thought to ask Dimitri... "You went through a lot Rose, your body had to recover even though we healed you and you only woke up less than a day ago and when you did wake, it wasn't for very long. My parents are already on their way."

"Oh...great, _they're_ going to welcome me with open arms." I said sarcastically. "They just love me so much, even _before_ I got their son banished..." Adrian's parents were never openly hostile to me, but I knew in no uncertain terms that they didn't approve of my relationship with him when we were together. It took them a while after we broke up to realise that we weren't getting back together and they did start talking to me a little better, but they still weren't lining up for the 'Rose Hathaway Fan Club' or anything. This visit should be interesting.

"They'll be fine. I'll be here to protect you."

"Oh.... my knight in shining Vodka..." Finally I got the smile that I'd longed to see, one that reached his beautiful green eyes; I even got one of his laughs too.

"Don't ever change Rose, promise me..."

"Couldn't even if I wanted to Lover... It's in the genes..." Suddenly the dream started to fade so Adrian quickly leant forward and kissed my forehead goodbye... "Bye..." I whispered. I woke up to the scent that made my heart race... I opened my eyes to find myself staring at Dimitri's smiling face.

"Good morning Roza." Before I could answer, he pressed his lips to mine. I pulled myself up onto his body without breaking the kiss. My need for this man seemed to increase weekly... and now, I would never push him away again. I kissed him so that there was no mistaking what my intentions were. He was reluctant at first, but I soon changed his mind.

"I love you Dimitri Belikov." I said afterwards.

"I love you more Rosemarie Hathaway." I gave him a half hearted glare at his use of my full name, to which he countered with a throaty chuckle. Responding with a 'more' at the end of our endearments had become a sort of _thing_ between us... and I loved it. It made me smile to realise that we had a 'thing'.... He gave a big sigh as he stroked my hair.

"Come on. Let's get showered and go get some breakfast...." He said with a kiss.

"Excellent... I'm _starving_!" He smiled and shook his head...

"That was probably the best thing I've heard in a long time." He pulled me up and into the bathroom where we had a very sensual shower.... not sexual...sensual... Having the man you love glide his soaped up hands slowly over every inch of your body, while never taking his eyes off you is extremely erotic.

We made our way down to the kitchen where Anne had cooked up some bacon and eggs and pancakes with maple syrup and ice-cream.... I was in heaven! Apparently, Dimitri had called her before getting into the shower so that it would be ready when we got down there... He was sneaky, I'll give him that. I ate so much food that I thought I'd burst, I'd really missed this satisfied feeling. When we finished, we walked outside to the pool area and I saw Lissa, Christian and Adrian sitting with Alberta and a few of the other guardians....and two humans.

"Rose!" Liss exclaimed as she jumped up and wrapped me in her arms. "You're up."

"No Liss... I'm still asleep; this is all a figment of your imagination." She shook her head as she slapped my arm and then dragged me over to the others. "Rose, this is Sydney and James; they helped you last week." Sydney stood slightly off to one side with James, they looked slightly – uneasy to say the least. She turned her head slightly and that's when I noticed her cheek. The shimmering gold flowers and leaves tattoo was the sign of an Alchemist. I'd dealt with a few over the years; they were always abrupt and stand-offish to say the least. Sydney looked a little nicer, but still...after all, I knew what they all thought about us 'creatures of the night'.

"Thank you Sydney, James."

"You're welcome Rose." She said. James just nodded at me from behind her.

"Rose, Sydney and James are staying in the guest building; they wanted to stay until you woke, just to make sure that you were alright." Liss explained.

"Oh, how long will you be staying?"

"Not long. Rose, things are changing in the Moroi community. What happened at St Vladimir's has had far reaching consequences." Sydney explained. I didn't like the sounds of that. "Word has spread amongst the Dhampir's of what transpired and there have been guardians resigning all over the world." I looked around at all of the serious faces around me.

"They can't. The Moroi need them. They can't just leave them unprotected. The strigoi will go unchallenged without the guardians." I said; my voice getting louder and louder.

"Your queen asked me to relay a message to you when she heard that we were here. Word had reached her about what transpired here last week form one of the other Alchemists."

_I don't like where this is heading Liss... _

_Hear her out Rose._ I turned away from Sydney to look at Liss... she obviously knew what was going on, her walls were up. I turned back to Sydney then to hear the rest.

"The queen would like you all to return to the Royal Court for a meeting, when you're up to it. I don't know what it's about, nor do I wish to know."

"Can I talk to you Sydney, privately?" I asked. She looked at her partner and nodded. "He can come too if you'd like." I walked towards the house again, with Dimitri's hand still firmly in mine; Sydney and James following. I motioned for them to sit in one of the sofas, Dimitri and I sat in another.

"Are you feeling alright Rose?" Sydney asked.

"Yes, thank you. That's sort of what I wanted to talk about. I haven't had a chance to really ask anything about what happened after... you know."

"Guardian Petrov called me after they found you and brought you back here. Your friends outside had healed your injuries but you had been bitten and you'd lost a lot of blood. Because of your 'situation', access to the proper medical attention was difficult, so we were called in." I slowly nodded, taking in what she was saying and I was about to ask her about something that still had me confused when she started speaking again. "We were able to bring the blood you needed." It was like she knew what I was going to ask.

"Oh..." I smiled. "And you...took care of... _them_?"

"Yes. Out of respect for your friend, we allowed him to bury his sister." I was sort of sad that I hadn't been awake to help Adrian through his sister's funeral. Dimitri squeezed my hand, knowing what I'd been thinking, _was I that easy to read?_ "You were very lucky Guardian Hathaway; you were close to death when we got here."

"I didn't think you helped us like that. You know... evil creatures and all..." she grinned at my choice of words.

"Well, you're not so bad."

"Gee, thanks."

"I've been kept aware of what you've accomplished since you graduated. And you've been the talk of the town since... well, you know. The changes you've unknowingly set in motion will be a good thing, I think. They've been a long time coming and you need to be there to ensure that things turn out in a positive way. For the first time in a long time, I think the queen knows that things have to change and is willing to listen."

"So, the Moroi?" I asked motioning to my friends outside... "They know who and what you are obviously..." As a rule, only Dhampir's are told of the existence of the Alchemists when they graduate and are banned from telling others, Moroi very rarely find out about them... it's all on a need to know basis.

"Yes. But they know not to talk about us to others and why." She'd glanced at Dimitri a few times while wed been speaking and I could see she was inquisitive.

"Would you like to ask something about us?" I asked her.

"No. Just to say, be strong." I nodded in understanding and then Sydney and James stood up, obviously the conversation was over.

"Thank you again Sydney."

"You're welcome. Anyway, we need to get back. Stay safe Rose." With that they said their goodbyes to the others outside and left.

Dimitri sat down on one of the deck chairs and being the new me, I decided to join him. He raised an eyebrow and smiled but he had a slightly confused look on his face as I stood beside him with an expectant look on my face.

"Well, if you don't want me to join you Comrade, I could always find another chair." Before I could move an inch, he'd grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me down on top of him where we resumed some of this morning's activities....

"Oh get a room you two..." Christian yelled.

"We've got one thanks." I said smiling against Dimitri's lips.

"And it's been well used too..." Dimitri said at my ear, making me blush.

"We can hear you, you know... We have better hearing than you remember. We really didn't need to know that bit of information." I could hear in Christian's voice that he was happy for his friend, no matter how much he ribbed him about our relationship.

"What? Are you afraid that you might see something that you can't replicate Sparky?" Mason and Adrian both burst out laughing.

"Oh Rose, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Thank God... But what I do know Sparky is that you couldn't handle what's under _this_ hood..." I said with a smirk. I could feel Dimitri body shake underneath me as he held back his laugh.

"Then what are you doing with him? I've known him longer than you and I know very well what's in his repertoire." I don't think he realised what he'd just said, but I was about to point it out.....

"Oh really Christian..? If I knew you swung that way I would have introduced you to a real hunk back at the Academy... Does Liss know...?" He narrowed his eyes and glared at me and I could see he was thinking up a retort.... "It's nothing to be ashamed of Christian... I'm just glad that you feel so comfortable talking about it to all of us."

"Rose..." Dimitri whispered in my ear. "Don't push him..." But since when did I ever _not_ push....

"I could probably set up a date for you two if you'd like, I still have his number somewhere..." Everyone around us were laughing hysterically, other than Lissa and Dimitri. Liss had hand over her mouth and Dimitri was biting his bottom lip but when Christian abruptly stood up and threw a fire ball at me... all hell exploded.

"What the....?" Dimitri saw it coming and threw us out of the way; both of us crashing to the ground.

"_Christian_!" His name was shouted by a chorus of people as they jumped out of their chairs. I sprang up from where I landed and leapt towards Christian; I was going to _kill_ him... After what I'd just been through, my inner animal was primed to exact revenge. My body tensed; and my fist almost connected when we were both pushed into the pool from behind. The freezing water bit into my skin as we hit it and we all gasped for air as we resurfaced; the only problem was that our lungs didn't exactly want to work correctly from the shock of the instant cold.

"_HOLY SHIT!" _I yelled once I could breathe... I looked around me and saw Christian on one side and Dimitri on the other. I gave them both a glare that was as cold as the water and then strode – as fast as was possible, out of the pool. Everyone was killing themselves laughing until they saw my face. I strode into the house, dripping wet, and went to go have a shower. I was fuming!

"Rose..." I could hear Dimitri calling behind me and soon enough he caught up to me. I spun around to see his wet clothes clinging to every inch of his amazing body and I forgot that I was mad at him for a second. "I'm sorry... I only meant to stop you from killing him, I didn't mean for the pool... Can I help warm you up?" He said tilting his head and looking at me with his 'puppy dog' eyes. I stood there glaring at him for a few more seconds but the sight of those wet clothes made up my mind.

"How are you going to accomplish that? You're as wet as me..." He heard the double meaning in my words as much as I did and my heart sped up as he came closer to me.

"Well, I know of somewhere warm that we can get a whole lot wetter..." His eyebrow lifted again in anticipation, so I grabbed his hand and we took off up to my, or should I now say _our_ room. Once we were all warmed up and in dry clothes, we went back down to the others.

_All dried off I see... _Liss said. _What took you so long?_

_Oh you know... I had to try out some of the things in his 'repertoire'..._

_You are so bad Rose... _She said smiling at me.

_You can talk... Don't forget I can feel your emotions too Liss... I know what you were up to last night. _Everyone turned to look at her as she gasped.


	45. Chapter 43

**Sorry for the delay everyone, but here's the next installment. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my first short story... "He's Gone"  
I hope I did it justice... Oh and, Happy Mother's day to all the mum's out there.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Forty Three**

About an hour later we heard the chime of the front door. As one of the Moroi on staff walked towards us, I saw Adrian's parents behind him. I looked over to Adrian and mouthed, 'they're here'. So he stood up and walked over to them.

"Mom, Dad. Thank you for coming." I couldn't help but notice how Adrian's father hadn't changed since the last time I'd seen him. Stoic as ever and that horrible bushy grey moustache still looked like it should be shot and skinned to make into a rug. Adrian shook his father's hand and gave his mother a hug; she looked like she still hadn't had that pole surgically removed from her ass yet either. But we all got the surprise of our lives when Tasha walked in behind them; apparently she talked the queen into letting her come see Christian. Adrian's parents greeted Lissa and Christian as one would expect, but when their eyes landed on me, I got a simple 'Miss Hathaway' from his mother, his father just glared daggers at me...

Yeah, this was going to be a _great_ visit, at least Tasha was here.

Adrian took his parents inside for some privacy and hearing him tell his parents about Hope's...death, was hard. It brought up a lot of bad memories and with them, a lot of anger. It hurt me deeply that Adrian was hurting so much over the loss of his sister, but had Mason not killed her when he did, I would be dead and buried right now. But I would have liked the chance to tie her up and tortured her myself... I knew when he'd finally said the words as I heard his mother start to cry. We had all come up with a story to tell them concerning her death. Adrian used compulsion on them to make them believe that she'd been in another Academy in Europe and that she'd been killed by strigoi when she'd left the safety of the wards for a holiday.

I know how much it must have hurt Adrian to do that, but I also knew he didn't want his mother hurt by the knowledge that her only daughter had turned strigoi. His mother had been so distraught, they'd left almost immediately.

"Well that just sucked." Adrian said as he plopped down onto one of the deck chairs with a bottle of Vodka. He unscrewed the cap and gulped down nearly half of the bottle in one go. I quickly popped into Lissa's head when I saw her looking at him and sure enough, she was looking at his aura. I was shocked seeing his normally vibrant gold aura now colored in dull dark greens and blues all shaded in black; only small sparks of gold found their way through all of that darkness. I pulled back to my own head and was about to go to him when someone spoke.

"There is something that you all should know." Tasha said. We all turned to face her and saw how serious her face was.

"What's wrong Tasha?" Christian said.

"A lot has been happening since you've been gone. Word has spread amongst the Dhampir community about what the queen said at your 'trial'..."

"Yeah, we know." I said still more than a little annoyed. Her forehead creased in confusion. "A lot has happened here too, as you've just seen. Sydney told us a bit; the Alchemist...."

"Oh, is that what she is? Oh well, what she may not have told you is that because of the numbers of guardians who have walked away from service, the Moroi are now in panic mode.... _extreme_ panic mode. The queen is scared that a mutiny is imminent by those who have seen the 'error of their ways' and have pledged to the guardians that they will embrace a new way of thinking if they come back." I looked at Liss and Christian and then to Mason and saw that they were probably thinking the same thing as me.

"Is this why Tatiana let you come here....to tell us this?" By the look on her face, I'd just hit the nail on the head. "Okay.... seeing as we have almost caught up, you may as well tell us the rest." I said.

"Well... she's had a – change of heart." I started laughing... disbelieving what I was hearing...

"Tasha, she'd have to have a heart in the first place to be able to change it." Adrian spurted out a mouthful of Vodka and started laughing hysterically when I said that. He'd been silent until now.

"You have...no idea...how funny that... *burp* is..." When I looked over to him, he had a cigarette in one hand, an empty bottle on the ground beside him and he was half way through the second one. "No...heart. You have... that...right. Queen _Bitch_..."

"I'll be back soon." I whispered to Dimitri. "I'll go get him into bed."

"Want a hand?" he asked.

"No... I'm alright; unfortunately this won't be the first time I've done this." He nodded and I walked over to Adrian.

"Adrian... I think you need to get some sleep. Come on, I'll help you to your room." He looked up to me from his chair and as drunk as he was, I could see how much pain and hurt was in his eyes. He grabbed my offered hand and staggered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. As we started up the stairs he started to speak... well slur.

"You know Lil Dhampir... I love you sooooo much, and I think..." then he started to sway. "I think that she was a cow.... for doing this to us." I knew who he was talking about and it wasn't the queen. Adrian's mind was solely on his sister.

"I know Adrian. Come on, help me here please, otherwise we're both going to end up in a crumpled heap down the bottom of the stairs." He totally ignored my plea for help as we continued upwards; he was in his own little alcohol oblivion world and couldn't really hear anyone at the moment. We walked along the hallway that led to all of the suites and I had to get his attention off all the busts that lined the walls; he actually tried to kiss a few, some he tried to punch because they were looking at him the 'wrong way'... We turned the corner and I could see his door coming up.

"Do you still love me Lil Rosie...?" _I'll let that pass...._

"Of course I love you Adrian, you know that." We finally reached his door and as I reached to open it, he swung his body in between it and me.

"Really? How mush....do you love me?" I smiled at him as I took a deep breath and pushed his suite door open behind him.

"Lots, now go to bed Adrian." I pushed him inside as best I could without knocking us both over and walked him over to his bedroom; he babbled incoherently all the way. As I went to push him onto the bed, he grabbed me around my neck and I ended up lying on top of him. He may have been drunk but he was still quick. His hands came up behind my head and he pulled me hard to his lips. I didn't know what to do at first; I didn't want to hurt him..._physically_, so I couldn't punch him or kick him in the gonads...so I decided to not do anything... I just went perfectly still. After a few seconds of not responding, he stopped and pulled away from me. We stared at each other without saying anything and then a tear escaped his eye and fell towards his ear.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered. I rolled off him as I felt him let me go. "You can leave now, I'll be fine." He said. I could hear the hurt and anger in his voice, so I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into me. He struggled at first but then he relaxed and for the next hour I held him while he cried and yelled and cried some more. Then when that was over, he apologised for his sisters actions and fell asleep... After pulling his shoes, button up shirt and slacks off, I finally got him under the blankets and left his room. Dimitri was waiting at the end of the hall when I came out.

"Is he alright? I heard him crying before when I came to see if you needed a hand." I knew that Dimitri didn't really like Adrian all that much, and that was purely because of our previous relationship _and_ Adrian's constant flirting, but he knew I still cared for him and put up with it for me.

"He passed out. Until he works through this sober... it's never going to get any better for him. I hate seeing him in so much pain." He nodded and kissed me softly before pulling me into a hug. I took a deep calming breath; pulling in his wonderful scent into the very depths of my body. I could stay here forever.

"Come on," He said. "Tasha's been waiting to talk to us all." I nodded and then we went back downstairs and into the large lounge room where everyone was now sitting.

_Is he alright? _Asked Liss through the bond.

_Yes and no._ _He'll be out of it for a while though._ She nodded as we approached the sofas. I was about to sit beside him when Dimitri pulled me onto his lap. Even though everyone here knew about us, we'd never been overly 'in your face' with our public displays of affection, the fact that he was being so bold made me curious. I certainly wasn't complaining and I was about to ask him what was going on until our eyes locked. I saw fear... I reached my hand up to the side of his cheek and rubbed my thumb over his eye.

"Humour me. I just don't want you too far away from me." He said. I didn't need to be convinced to stay where I was; I loved being held in his arms.

_Rose... we're waiting... _I could feel that Lissa was a little impatient to hear what Tasha had to say.

"I'm listening..." I said to her sarcastically. I relaxed into his arms; stretching my legs out across Eddie's lap and layed my head against his chest.

"Okay then..." Tasha said with a smirk. "As I said before, a large number of guardians have resigned. At first Tatiana accepted the resignations, saying that she didn't want guardians around that had such disregard for the Moroi well being... but it soon got to numbers where she could no longer deny that she had a problem. At first, most of the Royals agreed with her about the resignations, but they soon changed their minds when their guardians left too. There have been...rumours, that they want her to stand down, hence her 'mutiny' paranoia."

"From the throne?" Lissa said incredulously.

"Yes. They want someone else leading them; someone who they think will be the _only_ one who can rectify the situation."

"Who?" Asked Christian. Tasha's eyes went from him to Lissa but she didn't say another word. Everyone was silent for a few seconds before seeing what was going on.

_NO! _Liss said to herself.

"You're joking, right?" I asked Tasha. She looked at me and shook her head.

"_Who?_ What am I missing here?" Christian asked, but I couldn't take my eyes off Tasha's. So much was going on in my head, what this could mean for Lissa, for _us_... I always thought that she'd make a fantastic leader; she could do a lot of good for the Moroi but I knew that she'd never even entertained the possibility of it before.

"Gees, you'd make a great detective Christian." Dimitri said flippantly.

"Shut it Mountain man..." I couldn't help but laugh at the memory of when I first saw Dimitri walking towards us on that dark, deserted street all those months ago, it was exactly what I'd called him. "Will someone tell me before I get all hot and bothered."

"They want me." Lissa said in an almost whisper.

"Holy shit..." Christian said slightly stunned.

"And what does Tatiana think about it all?" I asked.

"Well, she's not too happy as you could imagine. But if too many more guardians leave then she's not going to have any choice in the matter and I think she's trying to find a way to rectify the situation and keep her monarchy." I looked over to Liss and her face showed as much confusion as her emotions inside. She didn't know what to think but she knew that there was no choice but to go back to the Royal Court.

_What do you think? _She asked me.

_I honestly don't know Liss. On one hand, it could be a good thing, but if she does find a way to mollify the others and keep her throne, what then? What will she do with us once she has us at Court? _She looked away from me in thought for a second and I saw all sorts of possibilities run through her head, but one thing popped into her mind....one thing I'd never expected.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said aloud. She looked at me slightly confused.

"What?"

'_They're __your __people?' What's that supposed to mean?_

_Well they are Rose... The future of my people could hinge on what happens next. Why are you so upset?_

_Why? _I said standing glaring at her. _Since when have we ever been two races in your head, a 'my people, your people' attitude? We need each other to survive. Think about it Liss... Only a few short weeks ago, that bitch stood there high and mighty wielding her axe. She threw me out like yesterday's garbage and then proceeded to walk all over the sacrifices that every guardian has ever made for __your__ people... _

_She threw me out too if you remember correctly. _She was now standing too, glaring at me with probably the same look as I was giving her.

_No, she didn't... You threw yourself out; she just couldn't look weak in front of her minions by trying to make you stay. She would __never__ have let you leave otherwise. Why do you think she had us followed huh? Do you honestly think she would have done that if it had just been me and the other Dhampirs? Of course she wouldn't have... Wake up Liss... Once she has us all there at Court, you'll be thrust into the politics of trying to save __your__ people... and every Dhampir that was 'thrown away' will be locked up, including me._

_No, you won't, don't be so melodramatic Rose. _My mouth dropped to the floor... I couldn't believe her...

_Melodramatic?_ _You think I'm overreacting? Lissa, we've been banned, stripped of our guardianship, she's trying to hold on to her throne... do you honestly think that she's going welcome us back with open arms especially after everything that's happened? She stood up in front of everyone and told us that our lives are only worth dying for __them__, we're only bred so that they can live...like some, dog. I would die in a heartbeat for you Liss, not because I'm your guardian but because you're my sister and I love you. But I will not put my life on the line for her or any of the others who think so little of what I risk and __have__ risked every day._

She looked at me blankly for a few seconds; a mixture of emotions swirling around in her, anxiousness, anger, betrayal... and then I felt her mental walls go up. She turned away from me and looked at Christian and his aunt.

"When do we leave?" she asked Tasha. I looked around and saw that everyone was staring at us anxiously. They could see we'd been arguing silently and knew not to interrupt but once she'd spoken to Tasha, Dimitri grabbed my hand. I looked down to him and saw that he wanted to know what was going on, but I just shook my head slowly. Lissa was going back and as much as I knew I'd regret it, I was too. I was bound to Lissa in more ways than one and where she went, I would follow, as always.

"She's sending a car for me in three days, so I can call them to send more if you'd like." Lissa nodded and then without a backward glance, she walked upstairs with Christian following. I was so angry right now and I needed some release so I stormed away from everyone. The gym was at the back of the house so I walked over to the doorway that was beside the staircase on the far wall of the lounge room. I walked down the corridor past the media room and two lane bowling alley. As I got to the last door I reached for the handle and swung it open. It felt like ages since I'd been in here and truth be told, it had probably been nearly two weeks, but I made a beeline for the punching bags. I didn't care that I wasn't in workout clothes; I just needed to hit something and the bags were a better choice than Lissa. Luckily, no-one came near me.

Lissa didn't come down from her room that night at all, she even had her food was sent up. Her walls were still up, so I knew that it was pointless to try and talk to her. Dimitri and the others had given me the space I'd needed and not asked about what had been said between her and I and I was thankful for that. The next morning Alberta came to me in the kitchen as I was eating breakfast.

"Morning Rose." She said.

"Good morning Alberta."

"Are you going back?"

"Yes. My place is by her side, always will be. I'm not looking forward to what awaits me though."

"We're all coming too." I looked up at her shocked.

"You don't have to do that Alberta. You know as well as I do what is probably going to happen once we get there." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Where else are we going to go? We have nowhere else... we don't have homes; most of us don't even have families to go to. If prison is what waits for us, then that's better than living on the streets and running the risk of being killed....or worse."

"Is that really what you all think?" We looked up to see Lissa standing in the doorway. "Do you really think I'd let that happen?"

"No Liss, you wouldn't. But you wouldn't be in a position to stop her if that's what she wanted to do." She dropped her barriers and I felt the regret over our fight, over the things she'd said. "You were right nonetheless Liss. We are two races....with different rules for each."

"That will change." She said confidently. I wasn't the only one who heard the steel in her voice. I saw Alberta looking at me from the corner of my eye as I looked at Lissa. "I have no intention of allowing her to keep the throne. That will be one of my condition to return....she must abdicate." My mouth dropped in shock... I couldn't tear my eyes away from her as I heard Alberta drop the mug she'd been holding only seconds before. "But as I said, there will be other conditions for my return – for _our_ return. Rose, could you gather everyone into the boardroom for me please, I need to make a conference call and I would like everyone here to be present." I smiled at her seeing what was going on in her mind. The next few weeks were going to be one hell of a ride....

Bring it on I say!


	46. Chapter 44

**Well, finally I'm updating... :-) Thank you for all of your reviews and yes, I've been slack and haven't answered them.  
I will try to be better... I know that some of you think that Dimitri is a little bit...fluffy... but remember  
that he hasn't had the same experiences at the 'real' Dimitri, he hasn't had to learn to be that  
stoic, always on guard, emotionless guardian. He's more like the real 'Rose', more willing to show his  
feelings for the love of his life. **

**BTW: There's a little Author's Note thingy at the bottom of this chapter....**

* * *

**Forty Four**

"Yes, I'll return." Said Lissa in all her royal fortitude. "But there are a few conditions that must be adhered to first." Everyone who had been banished with me, were now sitting around the huge oak table.

"I'm listening." Lord Conta's voice came through the speaker phone quite loudly, he sounded – annoyed... He was also one of the members of the Moroi Royal Council.

"First and foremost, Tatiana is to abdicate immediately." We could hear soft gasps and murmurs of others on the other end of the line. "And secondly, all the guardian's who were banished are to have their status and rights returned to them without prejudice and without delay, all monies due to them will be paid and compensation is to be granted for their suffering and discredit to their good names, is that understood." I smiled as I watched Lissa transform into the leader I knew she was and was going to be. She was so determined that everyone, both here and those on the phone, knew not to mess with her. I could feel the strength and determination through the bond; she was on a roll and loving it.

There was a few seconds silence before he answered. "Yes. We agree to those conditions." Conta said but I could hear that he wasn't happy about it.

"_What_! I definitely do _not_ agree to it." Roared Tatiana in the background. "I will _not_ abdicate, I have led our people for more than thirty years and I will _not_ be pushed out by a wannabe princess with a head full of Dhampir thoughts and feelings." _Oh...you didn't just go there you fool..... _I didn't need to look at Lissa to see her reaction, I felt it... She was _pissed!_

"_Tatiana_!" Lissa yelled. "You _will_ abdicate or our people will fall... It's your choice, but I would hope that you love our people enough to make the 'right' choice. You have my number, ring me when you have an answer for me, until then we shall remain here." And then she hung up.

Everyone was silent as they sat in shock at what they'd just heard; their eyes were on Lissa, well everyone's but mine. My eyes were on Christian's beaming face. He was so proud of her and when she looked to him I thought he was going to rip her clothes off in front of everyone, her emotions and thoughts mirrored his face. So I quickly stood up; getting everyone's attention and smiled at her.

_Thanks Liss, I'm so proud of you. I'll let you have some...privacy." _Her cheeks blush and pull up into a smile as I saw her and Christian's hands come together under the table. "Okay everyone, let's all give the princess some time to collect her thoughts, shall we." I motioned to the door and everyone stood up and walked out. I winked to her before shutting the heavy double doors. No more than a split second later I had to fight quickly to get my walls up... _EWW!_

"Little Dhampir... What happened in there was a good thing; don't screw your beautiful face up like that..." Said Adrian beside me.

"Adrian, my face being screwed up has nothing to do with what just happened in there... it's what _is_ happening in there right this _second_ that is the cause of my distress..." Adrian looked totally confused... "You don't wanna know... Let's just say that Lissa acting all... 'Queeny', gets Christian... energized."

"EEWWW!" Adrian yelled when realisation hit. The people who were close by turned to face us. Dimitri couldn't help but laugh beside me either.

"Hence the screwed up face... at least _you_ don't have to see and feel it, so stop complaining." He gave a quick shiver and then draped his arm around my shoulder, much to Dimitri's dislike.

"Oh that's just gross. Well, let's talk about more pleasant things shall we?"

"Like what?"

"Well, I was going to say that what happened in there was one for the history books, and we'll be able to tell our grandchildren that we were there when our world changed."

"Mmm." I mumbled, ignoring his little quip. "I know she's your aunt and all, but I really do think that Liss will do wondrous things as our leader."

"So do I, I've always thought that."

"Really?"

"Yes. Especially after all that's happened. After...Hope, I visited my aunt to let her know that what had happened...and instead of feeling grief, she blamed you. That's when I knew that with her leading our people, we would all pay the price of her ignorance and short sightedness." Something about the tone of his words and the look on his face told me that he was holding something back.

"What did you do?" A huge smile instantly spread across his face.

"I never could hide anything from you, could I?"

"No you couldn't, so spill." He looked around at the people around us and then grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the kitchen. I looked back to Dimitri who just stood there with one eyebrow raised.

"Come on Big Dhampir." Adrian called out. I tried to stop smiling as Dimitri just shook his head in irritation and followed.

"Well..?" I said impatiently leaning back against the kitchen bench.

"Well... as I said, I visited her and once I knew that she'd never change, I realised that I would have to _force_ a change." He was sitting on the bench opposite me with a smirk on his face, like a kid thinking of a really good prank...

"What do you mean by 'force'?"

"Well, you don't think that it's only Lissa's powers that have grown over the years do you little Dhampir? Once inside someone's head, I'm now able to compel them."

"Really?" I whispered, stunned.

"Yeah, so I visited a few council members....and a few of the other royals at Court...and overseas." I was about to speak but he cut me off. "I never told them what to do _or_ believe or say, I just planted the seed of... ill-will, you might say; played on their insecurities that were already there. If I didn't, then by the time _they'd_ get around to it, it would be too late to do anything about it."

"Our saviour!" I said slightly sarcastically, slightly truthfully. "How long have you been able to do this?"

"A while." He said sheepishly. "But this was the first time I've actually used it...sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yes... sort of. Well, the first time was by accident, I didn't realise what had happened until it happened." And then he blushed slightly.

"What did you do? More importantly...who did you do it to?"

"It doesn't matter..." I glared at him knowing it was probably me and coming to this realisation also led me to another....I had no memory of it, so he probably compelled me to forget too! "Don't look at me like that Rose. I'm not telling you, so don't bother giving me the 'death stare'. Just know that everyone at Court should be more than ready to accept change and that they really do want Lissa to be that change." Then he poked his tongue at me and walked away. Dimitri came to stand in front of me, locking me firmly in-between him and the bench.

"Looks like we're going back into the lion's den." He said.

"Mmm, looks like it... Should be fun hey?"

"Well, I don't know about you," he said as he leant in and kissed my neck. "...but my idea of 'fun' is obviously a little different than yours. Would you like me to show you _my_ version of fun?" I could feel my cheeks burning as I stared into his smiling eyes, but I couldn't look away. "Follow me..." he whispered against my lips, they tingled with the memory of his breath and with a fair amount of anticipation as he walked out of the kitchen... I couldn't help the smile that plastered itself on my face as I turned to follow him. But it soon faltered as I realised he was not walking up the stairs... As he got to the doorway that led to the gym, he turned and grinned evilly at me. _Oh... he's so going to pay..... _I started running towards him so he took off down the corridor with me hot on his heels.

As I ran into the gym, a leg darted out to trip me, but he needs to be faster than that... I jumped over his leg and spun to face him. He was still grinning as he crouched into position. "Ready for some _fun_ my love?" He said backing up into the middle of the mats.

"You may not call it fun once I'm finished with you." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Bring it on Badass." He said mischievously.

We circled one another, eyes locked. He wanted fun... _I'll _give him fun... He leapt towards me and I dropped and rolled onto my right shoulder, as I landed onto my back, I kicked my legs up into his ribcage. I easily rolled onto my feet into a cat stance as he stumbled and rolled on the floor and in one fluid movement, I leapt forward to pin him. He saw me coming though and rolled away from where I would land. He whipped his head up to look at me; a smile spread over his face and eyes glistening. Still in his crouched position he backed up inviting me to follow. I charged him, leading with my fist and his left arm came up to block the blow. He kept moving with the forward motion and ended up behind me; his right arm snaked around my waist and picked me up. I knew that he was going to try to get me to the mats, but I wasn't going to let that happen. As I was thrown over his shoulder, I reached down and squeezed the top of the hamstring muscle that runs down the back of the thigh, let me tell ya...it hurts like hell! He yelled and let go of his grip so I dropped to the ground and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He landed hard on his side and I jumped onto his body to stake him, but he again blocked my attack.

He grabbed my wrists and pushed up with his hips, throwing me over his head. We both were breathing heavy from exertion but I must admit...I _was_ having fun.

"That wasn't nice Roza..." Dimitri said with a growl.

"All's fair in love and war pretty boy..." He raised one eyebrow and grinned. He rushed at me again; shoulder first, but I used his size to my advantage. I gripped his waist before landing on my back and then rolled him over the top of me.

"Silly move..." I said wagging my finger at him, but I was answered with a growl. "Is that all you've got?" I watched him as he stood up out of his crouched position, wondering what he was doing. And then he walked away! _Yes_! He walked away! I stood up in disbelief... "Dimitri?" With that he spun around and tackled me to the ground. The little shit!

"Got ya!" he said as he straddled me holding both arms above my head. "You shouldn't let anything distract you from a fight."

_I don't think so...._

I pushed up underneath him and somehow managed to flip us over and without wasting the opportunity, I slammed my hand down over his heart. "No you don't!" I said an inch away from his face. That's when I heard the clapping... I hadn't realised we had an audience... _Good one Hathaway; great guardian you are... _I thought to myself_. _How could I _not_ notice the ten people standing 50 feet from me? I looked back down to Dimitri and smiled at his smug face. He reached up and pulled me in for a kiss. Now normally I would have pulled away, but this is the _new_ me, I returned that kiss eagerly, much to the disgust of the others in the room.

"EEWW Rose! We came here to watch a fight, not to have our eyesight destroyed." Yelled Christian. Dimitri laughed against my lips before looking up to his friend...

"Nobody invited you Sparky..." _Oh yes! He's learning.... _"And put that away, we're hot enough thanks..." he said indicating to the little ball of fire that suddenly appeared in Christian's palm. Dimitri gave me one quick kiss and then stood up; pulling me with him.

"Anyway Christian," I said, "...you're one to talk after what _you've_ recently been up to..." He was confused at first, but then he remembered the bond... He closed his eyes for a second and then looked back at me.

"Well that's good then, finally you know the difference between good and...well, me!"

"You got that right... But you really shouldn't put yourself down like that Cupcake, and besides, 'good' isn't really how I'd describe Dimitri... Un-_freaking_-believable would be closer to it, maybe even 'rock my world', _earth_ shattering...mind-blowing...humong..." Christian cut me off, throwing his heads up over his ears and screwing his face up.

"LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA...." He yelled out loud, "I _got_ it, I got it; we don't need all the gory details..."

Everyone was laughing bar Christian and Dimitri... Christian just glared at me and pouted, Dimitri...well he just stood there; a slight shade redder than normal and shook his head.

"You know," Mason said once he'd regained his breath. "Changing the subject...sort of....it took a lot for me not to join in there and make it a threesome Rosie, but I actually got more pleasure just watching from the sidelines."

"Well that's good Mase, you should get _used_ to watching me from there." I said with a wink. Before he could retaliate, one of the Moroi staff walked into the gym.

"Princess Dragomir?" she said politely. "You have a conference call in the boardroom." Everyone' laughter died off immediately; took a deep breath and then looked at Lissa, who was looking at me.

_Here we go... _She said silently, I nodded in reply. "Thank you Elyse. Let them know that I'm on my way." Elyse bowed and walked away.

_Do you think Tatiana will have accepted?_ I asked Lissa silently.

_She doesn't have a choice, at least this way she can leave on her terms and keep face amongst her people._ I nodded, and then she walked out of the room with everyone following. Dimitri handed me a towel as we walked, to clean up with. Everyone quietly walked into the boardroom and sat down in the chairs they had before. Once everyone was seated, she spoke....

"Hello." Lissa greeted.

"Hello Princess Dragomir." I glanced at Liss in a little bit of shock. It was Tatiana.

"Your majesty..."

"Princess, I have decided that in the best interest of the _Moroi_ people," I didn't miss her implied meaning. "I shall be stepping aside as ruler and I wish to ask if you would consider accepting the appointment of the new Queen of the Moroi."

The only outward sign I gave of my shock was a slight lift of my eyebrows, and I must say that Lissa was doing an amazing job of mimicking my guardian mask right at this time but the emotions coming through the bond were almost making me giddy. The most overwhelming feeling she has was excitement but more because of what she thought she could offer rather than the actual title, she was a little worried and anxious too, but that was only to be expected. Most of the other guardians sitting around us kept their amazement behind their masks also, a few didn't. The Moroi on the other hand were astounded; Adrian beamed like a beacon. I could tell that Christian and Tasha were happy for Liss but I saw a little apprehension there too, maybe a little sadness from Tasha.

"Tatiana," Lissa said. "I am extremely honoured to be asked to lead both Moroi and Dhampir's and I will do everything in my power to ensure that we not only survive the issues that surround us at the moment, but flourish in the future. I accept your appointment of Queen with thanks."

"Thank you....Your majesty." Everyone in this room heard the tone in Tatiana's voice as she called Lissa 'your majesty'.... she was _not_ happy...at all.

"Your majesty." Lord Conta's voice came over the speaker. "We are able to send cars to your estate as soon as possible so that we can get things underway for your coronation. Is there a time that would be suitable to you?"

_What do you reckon Rose? _She asked silently.

_Up to you really, just say the word._.. _Your majesty._ I said with a smile.

"It's getting late now Lord Conta, and it will take us a few hours to get things in order here, so twenty-four hours should be fine."

"Yes your majesty. The cars will be there this time tomorrow."

"Lord Conta?"

"Yes, Your majesty?"

"About the guardians here with me..."

"Everything has been rectified your majesty. Their status and entitlements are as they were before; if you have any changes in mind, please let me know."

"Actually, there are." I looked to Lissa confused, she had her barriers up and she was smiling.... "Guardian Hathaway will still be my first guardian and I'm making Guardian Ashford my second."

I looked over to Mase and smiled. He smiled and had his fist clenched in a low... "YES!" punch... (If you know what I mean...)

"There are also a few other changes that I would like to make, but those can be addressed when we get to Court. Will you be accompanying the cavalcade Lord Conta?"

"Ah..."

"The reason I'm asking is that I wish for the formalities of the monarchy transition to be handled here, that way I can hit the ground running so to speak once we arrive. Also, I expect documents concerning the Guardians re-instatement and entitlements to be ready at the same time."

There was a pause on the other end of the line like they hadn't expected this... "Ah... Um, y-yes, of course your majesty, I will have all the documents drawn up immediately for your signature."

"Thank you Lord Conta, we will be awaiting your arrival." Then Lissa bent forward and pressed the button ending the call.

"Well... that was interesting." I said. Snickering was heard all around me, along with head shaking...

_What was that last bit about Liss?_

_I just thought it best that this was legal __before__ we got to Court. _I nodded and realised that she too had reservations on their truthfulness.

"So Queeny... what's your first official decree...?" I asked.

"My first official decree is that if anyone and I mean _anyone_ calls me Queeny again, they'll be fired..." She said looking at me, all I could do was laugh... "Second is... if anyone here doesn't wish to return with us, I understand and I will help you any way that I can. You can either go elsewhere or you can stay here as my personal staff, just let me know."

My heart soared as one by one they all stood and vowed their allegiance to Lissa's protection. Alberta, Eddie, Luke Belamy, Brad Christou, Alexsi Gregori, Mike Foster, James Butler...and me. She had her Royal Guard. Normally she wouldn't need that many, but we weren't all that sure what we were walking into, so we would take everyone we could get.

**I wonder what will happen once they move back to Court? What does everyone think? ;-) Oh, btw... as some of you know, I've been writing my own original story, I was wondering if there is someone here that would like to read the first chapter and tell me what you think... If you think it's something I should continue... Let me know. Thanks everyone....**


	47. Chapter 45

**Well, I'm finally updating... Just to let everyone know... this chapter is a little citrusy... (if you know what I mean) :-)  
I couldn't help it... hehehe  
Anyway, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy it... Oh, BTW, I've sort of started another story, but I'm going to make it a short story,  
only a few chapters... (Yeah I know, like you believe that!) LOL! But I'll post it up soon...**

**Thanks to everyone who had a look at my original story, If there is anyone else who wants to read it here's a link....  
www . fanfiction . net/s/5966955/1/ (take out the spaces) There's also a link to a website I made up on my profile page....**

**I found a place to put it up on fanfiction.... So, let me know what you think....  
Sandy**

* * *

**Forty Five**

As we all stood to leave the board room, Lissa asked me to stay. Once everyone left, she leant back in her chair, face up and closed her eyes.

"What have I got myself into now Rose?" I smiled at her frustration.

"What you were born to do. Lead our people into the new world, a world where we will prosper and maybe one day; be able to live without the constant threat of Strigoi." She sighed and then looked at me.

"I _am_ sorry about yesterday. I hate fighting with you, it's like fighting with myself..." we both laughed at that... "I _do_ think of you as my sister, the fact that you are a Dhampir never comes into it, but on the other hand, I know we _are_ different... it's very confusing. I just hope that I'm strong enough to do this."

"Of course you are Liss, you always have been. And you know that I'll be there every step of the way."

"How am I going to stop guardians leaving Rose? There has been a lot said and done. Will they believe me when I say that things will change?"

"I don't know Liss. I suppose it depends on if they see that you _are_ implementing change."

"What do you mean?" I took a deep breath as I didn't know how far to go, I wanted to be here to _help_ her in her decisions, not to make them. Tatiana's words still rang in my ears... _a wannabe princess with a head full of Dhampir thoughts and feelings... _Any change that she made from now on had to be hers... And of course...she heard my thoughts...

"Rose, you are my best friend and my advisor...even Tatiana has one. Your thoughts and feeling matter to me, they always have and always will. How am I to know how to fix the problems facing _our_ people if I don't get suggestions from those who want and need change the most?" I smiled at her words.

"Well, it all boils down to one problem. Fix that one problem and both Moroi and Dhampir's will prosper."

"Okay, and that problem is?"

"Think about it... Everything that has happened stems from one thing..." She tilted her head as she thought. She didn't try to see into my mind because I can feel when she's doing it. I could read her mind though as she thought about what had happened in the last few weeks. Me, hiding my relationship with Dimitri, Hope's obsession over Dimitri and her steadfast belief that he _belonged_ to her, me being banished because of my relationship with him, even our argument yesterday, she also thought about Alberta's words about being thrown into prison on our return... Memories of things that had been said by me and other Dhampirs over the years also trickled into her mind.... I never realised that she'd heard so much. She thought about everything and the more she dug through her thoughts, the more she pieced together. When she looked back into my waiting eyes, one thought pulsed through the bond, one word.... and that word was the problem.

Respect.

I slowly nodded to her, acknowledging that she'd indeed hit on the one thing that all Dhampir's wanted and never received. Respect. Respect for our lives, respect for our sacrifices, respect for our choices... Respect.

"I'll leave you to it." I said as I stood up. What happened next, had to be of her own making, not only for the fact that she could truthfully say that it was all her own ideas, but for her own self-respect. She had to know that she was capable of thinking not only for Moroi, but also for Dhampirs, thinking about what was in everyone's best interest. It was what she needed to become the ruler I knew she could be. She stood up and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you Rose. I love you." She said earnestly.

"I love you too Queeny...." I gave a little laugh when she glared at me. "I'll be outside. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No thanks." We kissed each other's cheeks and then I left the room. I followed the voices out to the poolside, I don't know why everyone wanted to be out here it was freezing.

"There you are little Dhampir." Said Adrian. He was in his normal state of inebriation, and by the unopened bottles beside him, he had plans of becoming even more so...

"Yeah, I thought I'd grace you all with my presence."

"Where's your other half?" My eyes automatically went to Dimitri's smiling face when he said that, and I felt instant guilt... I knew he'd meant Liss, but unconsciously my soul reached out for someone else.

"She's inside, thinking about what to do next." I looked back to Dimitri and saw that the smile had gone and was now replaced by a near perfect guardian mask. I was unsure if he'd seen my guilt or if he'd been hurt that I'd said she was my other half and not him...

"What do you think will happen now Rose?" Eddie asked me.

"Not sure Eddie. Hopefully guardians will see change and want to come back, hopefully there hasn't been too much hurt and it's not too late."

"I'm surprised that you aren't in there telling her how to fix it Rose." Mason said.

"It's not up to me. If any changes are made, they must be her changes; all I can be is a sounding board. I'll give her my thoughts if she asks for them, but she is about to become our queen, she has to learn how to be one..."

Everyone looked at me with open mouths and wide eyes... apparently I'd said something that must have been very un-Rose.... "What?" I asked.

"That was very prophetic of you Rose." Alberta said.

"I have my moments."

That night went by with everyone packing their things, Lissa asked me to help the Moroi named Elyse to pack her things while she worked on what she wanted to do once we arrived back at court. Once that was done, I went in to see how much of a dent Dimitri had done with my belongings. I grinned as I walked in and saw that everything was in boxes apart from a set of clothes for tomorrow and what I realised was what Dimitri wanted me to wear to bed tonight. One thing about Dimitri...he was focused. Set him a task and he does it quickly and efficiently. He really was turning into an amazing guardian.

I smelt his scent from behind me as he entered my room silently; I knew he was trying to sneak up on me. "You know Dimitri..." I said quietly, ruining his plan... "I'm going to freeze tonight only wearing that." I smiled as two warm arms circled my waist from behind and his lips came to my neck. As my eyelids went down, my barriers went up.....

"Don't worry my love, I'll keep you warm." Of that I had no doubt... because right at this very second... I was being to feel _extremely_ warm... "Besides, what makes you think you'll be wearing anything tonight?" Thoughts of clothes, packing or anything else flew out of my mind as his teeth gently bit into the lobe of my ear. His fingers fiddled with the bottom of my shirt and the skin of my stomach rose in goosebumps as he touched me. Slowly, inch by torturous inch, his hands slipped under the front of my shirt. As his lips made their way up my neck, I turned my head to face him. Soft as the touch of a feather, his lips touched mine at the same time his hands found their destination. I could feel his arousal behind me, making me press my body against his and my breathing become heavier.

"Roza..." he whispered against my mouth. As our tongues touched, my body moaned in pleasure. I couldn't think of anything other than him, the feeling of him behind me, his hands exploring my body, his mouth... his tongue....his taste. One hand came around to my back and unclasped my bra, then the other quickly relieved me of it and my shirt within seconds. One of my hands reached up into his hair behind me as his fingertips trailed downwards, tantalising every nerve as they went... my muscles flinched as they ran along the waist of my slacks. Slowly, his fingers pushed their way past the flimsy fabric, inching closer and closer towards the centre of my legs. My body came alive at his touch.

"Oh God...." I said breathlessly. My other hand found its way behind me and it instantly slipped into his pants.

"Oh..... Roza." He groaned as I held him tight in my hand then he quickly spun me around and lifted me up. Before I knew what was happening my legs were wrapped around him and we were quickly making our way to the bed. Our lips never parted as we fell amongst the feather quilt and pillows. Furiously our hands worked to remove any other clothing getting in our way.

Dimitri grabbed my wrists together with one hand and pulled them above my head, with his other hand he continued his stimulating exploration between my legs... Throwing my head back into the pillows, my body arched up in pleasure, his mouth capturing the moan as it escaped.

"I want you..." I whispered. "Inside..." His hand left its skilful play and spread my legs further apart.

"I love you." He said as he pushed himself deep inside me. I couldn't help the moan that left my mouth as the feeling of utter fulfilment flooded my body; I brought my legs up around his waist and tightened them, pushing him inside me further. His lips left mine and made their way down my neck where he proceeded to nibble and suck the soft skin. I was so close....

_Knock, knock, knock.... _Oh shit... you've got to be kidding me....

"Ignore it..." Dimitri whispered as we moved as one faster and faster... I didn't need to be told twice, my head was in the fog of ecstasy, it was easy to ignore anything at this point in time.

"Rose...Are you...?" I could hear my bedroom door opening just as... _Oh shit.... _My body exploded in pure bliss...

"Ohhhh _yes_!" I yelled digging my nails into Dimitri's back.

"Oh _God_ Roza...!" Dimitri yelled as he too reached his release.

"OH _SHIT_! OH MY GOD!.... _BLOODY HELL!_" Then the door slammed....

Neither one of us could do anything for a few seconds; our bodies were still flying the high of our climax's but as the fog of fulfilment cleared from our minds, all we could do was laugh, especially because we could still hear Christian cursing as he walked down the hallway away from our room.

"I'm sorry; I should have locked the door." Dimitri said.

"Don't be sorry, that'll teach him for not waiting to be let in." Dimitri smiled and then kissed me softly before rolling off onto his side.

"I wonder what he wanted."

"Liss probably wanted him to come tell me something... Hang on, I'll ask." Dimitri sat up on his elbow and our eyes never left one another. _Hey Liss, is Christian with you yet?_

_Yes... _I could feel her amusement through the bond and I could only imagine what was going on down there.

_Well, he shouldn't have just barged in...._

_You should see his face. _I could just imagine it and I started to laugh when she actually did send me an image of his face.

_Did you want me for something?_

_I was going to see if you could come down for a while, but it's nothing that can't wait till the morning. Stay with Dimitri and enjoy your night._

_I already have Liss...Very much so...._

_EEWWW! Night.... _Then I felt her barriers go up.

~888888~

As I walked into the kitchen the next morning, I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face as I looked into the glare of Christian's eyes.

"Sleep well Rose?" Lissa asked from behind the fridge.

"Like a rock. Thanks for asking. You?"

"Yeah, _I_ did... Christian?... not so much!" she said with a giggle.

"Oh, what was the matter Cupcake?" I said; my voice dripping with fake concern, "... I understand that knowing what you've been doing all these years wasn't as good as you thought, but you know, you really shouldn't worry about it too much, you just have to come to terms with the fact that you can't all be as good as Dimitri..."

_Rose... _I glanced to Lissa who was trying her hardest not to laugh.

_What? Did you really think I was going to let what happened last night go by without a comment or two – or three..? Liss you should know me better than that by now._

"Will you two stop that? I know what you're talking about." Christian said.

"I doubt it," I said. "But really Sparky, it would be in everyone's best interest if you waited for someone to open the door next time you go into a bedroom that's not yours." Christian didn't say anything else he just stood up, walked over to Lissa and kissed her like he had something to prove and then walked out. Once he'd left, Liss and I cracked up... Males, they really did need to have their ego's stroked every once in a while...

The rest of the morning went along fairly boring, it was just going over the things that Liss had thought of and making sure we'd packed everything that we needed to take back to Court. Just as we were about to have lunch, we heard a commotion coming from the front of the house. The guardians here instantly went on alert.

"Shit Rose... The wards, I forgot to enhance the wards." Lissa said panicked. She went with the other Moroi's of the household every second week to recharge the wards that surround the estate. We'd found that with the added boost of spirit, they lasted a full two weeks without losing their strength, normally they'd need to be done weekly. With everything that had happened in the last 24 hours and then getting ready to leave in a few hours, the recharge had been overlooked.

Alberta and I went to the front door with our stakes in our hands only to be met with eight Court guardians running up the stairs with the Royal Moroi in amongst them.

"Strigoi are following." Yelled what looked to be the lead Guardian.

"Where are they?" I asked. I knew they were a fair distance away as I had no nausea yet.

"At least two miles down the road. They were waiting by the road side and tried to stop the cars as we came through."

"We hit a couple, but they just got back up afterwards." Said one of the Moroi.

"Everyone on alert!" I yelled. Guardians came from all over within seconds. Everyone knew there stations and where they had to go, so Guardian's Belamy, Christou, Foster and Gregori went to the back of the mansion while Mason, Alberta, James Butler and I went out the front. Dimitri and Christian took the east side and Eddie and Guardian Grey took the west side. "Time to get this show on the road guys, get the paperwork signed, sunrise is in just over five hour's time, we have to be ready to leave by then, no exception is that understood."

Lord Conta didn't seem impressed by my ordering everyone around and opened his mouth to say something when Lissa spoke up.

"We'll be ready Rose, just let me know when we have to go. Should we go out to do the wards?" I looked to Alberta to see what she thought, but her face showed nothing, now that Lissa was the new queen and I was her first guardian, that made me the boss.

"We need to ensure the wards are up, but I won't have you out there, you are not to leave this house under any circumstances until I tell you so alright."

"Okay." She said simply.

I asked Alberta to escort Lissa and the other Moroi into the boardroom while I went with the other guardians to check on the wards with the Moroi staff. The next five hours were going to be tense, hopefully we wouldn't have a problem until the sun came up and we could leave.


	48. Chapter 46

**Well... I'm finally updating. Sorry it took me so long. Life and a book sort of had me occupied... LOL!  
Well, what can I say about Spirit Bound... I loved it, but... there were things in it I didn' think would happen...  
December really can't come quick enough... hehehe  
I've added a new thread on the forum... Number 9... about Spirit Bound. If you want to have a chat about  
it, go there... There are some interesting views...**

**Anyway, thanks for being patient and for all of your wonderful reviews.  
Sandy....**

* * *

**Forty Six**

Four hours to go......

We'd only been outside for just over an hour when the nausea started and with each second that ticked by, the nausea stepped up a notch.

"They're coming. Get inside...NOW!" I yelled to the Moroi.

"Rose..." Mason said getting my attention.

"There's a lot Mase..." Even I heard the chill in my voice. He nodded and then we all stepped back from the wards. I was feeling pretty gross at this point in time and I almost puked, but somehow I held it down. As Mason, Alberta, James and I stood side by side waiting, we all saw the movement in the trees at the same time and we all went for our weapons at the same instance too.

"Well, well, well... who do we have here?" The strigoi in front of me looked around twenty years of age when turned and by her build she was once a Dhampir, beside her stood a male who I thought was probably the leader.

"You can call me destiny... him, death...." I said motioning to Mason. "....that's retribution over there and beside her is justice..." I said indicating Alberta and James... I thought that was pretty smart of me to think of that so quickly, but she didn't think so....

"Don't act smart Dhampir..." she growled. "Do you honestly think you're safe behind this...." she looked down at the invisible wards that separated us. "....this feeble attempt at protection?"

"Fairly..." I said back. But when she smiled, a chill ran down my spine. Over her shoulder I could see a human being led through the throng of strigoi.... shit! They were going to break the wards...

"RUN!" I yelled to my friends. We all spun and ran at our top speed back to the house. We had to get as much space between us and them before lunging into a fight. We had eight more guardians than we had this morning and I knew that we were going to need every one of them. We didn't get far though; the human slammed the stake deep into the wards that protected the mansion and strigoi ran in at top speed towards us. Feeling them getting closer, I knew we wouldn't make it back inside before they reached us, so I stopped running and spun around ready to fight, the others noticed and stopped as well. A quick glance showed eight strigoi.... eight against four, two against one.... could have been worse I suppose. I could see the other strigoi walking into the grounds at a leisurely pace.... okay; they're going to come in waves...

"Get ready..." I whispered.

The strigoi paired up and came at us like a torrent of black water... Two jumped at me at the same time, so I quickly fell to the ground and rolled on my right shoulder. I came back up in a cat stance; stake at the ready and waiting for the onslaught. The strigoi circled me and I knew I was going to need a little help....

_Liss... do something to produce the darkness...._

There was a moment's hesitation and indecision through the bond, then she started to think of the time when Ralf Sarcozy tried to force himself on me in our senior year at school; his lap dog Jesse Zeklos tried to rape her at the same time. She'd got so angry back then she focused her compulsion into a mind terrifying assault on them, making their worst nightmares come true, that's when we first became aware of the darkness she produced and that I took away from her. Almost as soon as that memory flashed into her mind, I could feel it welling up inside of her so I reached out and drew it into me...

The male to my left saw what he thought was me giving up... _stupid, stupid strigoi..._ I spun to my left with a right hook and he lifted his left arm to block but as he lifted his arm, I grabbed hold and lifted myself up and over his shoulder, bringing his arm roughly with me. This wasn't a movement that arms were designed to do and that added to my stake being dragged down his back; his scream was intense. The darkness now filled me... I was behind him but he spun out of my grip as the female lunged at me. I struck out with a kick and it landed directly over her heart; sending her flying backwards. The male came at me again, hitting me on the left side of my cheek. Memories of Hope's torture flashed into my mind as the pain flared across my face, these memories mixed with Lissa's and fuelled my desire for revenge.

The male grabbed me in a headlock, but I already had moves to counteract that. I gripped his forearm with both hands and pulled my legs up and over his head. As I landed behind him, I pushed my stake into his back and through his heart. When his body fell, I felt pain in my back, the female had come back. I spun and as I ripped my stake from the dead male and I swiped it across her chest. She kicked out at me but I ducked at just the right moment and felt her leg go over my head. I spun my leg out and took her down, it was a move she should have anticipated, but hey...I'm not complaining. I jumped onto her chest and we grappled for what seemed like ages, but I soon got the opening I needed and staked her. Once I saw her eyes completely die, I looked over to the others.

Mason and Alberta were both now down to one each, James was still battling two and tiring fast so I rounded behind them and took one down. I was about to help with the other when it suddenly burst into flames. I was taken aback for a second until I realised what had happened. I looked up to see Dimitri and Christian running towards us along with Eddie and Guardian Grey. I felt the nausea rising once again and looked behind me to see more strigoi advancing. Christian saw this at the same time and lit up the strigoi that Alberta and Mason were fighting as well, after that, they went down quickly.

"RUN!" I growled at everyone. We were closer to the mansion now and one of the guardians that came with Lord Conta was standing at the doorway waiting for us, once we were all inside, he slammed the door shut.

"Rose..!" Lissa yelled in relief. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just tired." She went to heal some of the cuts and bruises, but I grabbed her wrists.

"No Liss... Not yet, we may need your help later alright?" She nodded but I knew she was fighting the urge to heal me. I looked around and noticed that Belamy and the others weren't here. "Belamy, Christou, report." I said into the earpiece.

"Nothing out back." Came Luke's voice.

"Get back inside." I was about to say to get everyone down to the gym, but Lissa interrupted me.

"We've made some wards; they run just inside the perimeter of the house."

"Good idea. But they may not last; they have a human with them."

"Oh, it should last... Adrian and I added some compulsion in with it. They may break it eventually, but it should give us the time we need to wait for the sun." Somehow I doubted that, but I just smiled anyway. Liss already knew what I thought, but no need for everyone else to worry.

"We need the gym warded too; we need somewhere to fall back to if we have to." She nodded and then took the other elemental Moroi and Adrian with her to put up some more wards. I looked over to Conta who was trying to look as unflustered as he could possibly be, and to the untrained eye he probably pulled it off, but I could see he was scared shitless!

"I think you need to make your way to the gym Lord Conta. If they manage to break through these wards, we need to know you are out of harm's way while we fight." _As always..._ I thought to myself. Even after everything they'd done to me, I would still fight for them... how twisted was that?

"If you think that best." He gave a quick nod and then walked to the doorway near the bottom of the staircase. "Oh, Guardian Hathaway? Stay safe..." I was momentarily floored... _stay safe...._ Not only did the fact that he was concerned for my safety not escaped my notice but also that he referred to me as Guardian Hathaway... What is the world coming to?

"Are you alright?" I relaxed as Dimitri's soothing voice spoke behind me.

"I am now you're here. Are you alright?" I could see that he had a rather large bruise on his cheek... I knew he hadn't engaged any strigoi out the front with us, so I wondered how he got it.

"They sent some strigoi around the side but they didn't expect us to be there, so we caught them off guard." He said noticing that I'd seen the bruise.

"How many?"

"Three."

"You killed three?"

"Yeah, well they were sort of occupied at the time; being on fire and all..." Still, taking on three at once just reinforced my opinion on him all that much more. He was phenomenal.

**Three Hours To Go**

"What are they waiting for?" Lissa asked for the hundredth time as she paced around... No-one bothered to answer this time and she didn't even notice. Her anxiety wasn't doing an awful lot of good for me at the moment either, I felt like I was bouncing off the walls.

"Liss! Will you settle down please? You're making me jumpy..." She glared at me at first and then realised that I'd meant about the bond...

"Oh, sorry Rose. Why haven't they tried to get in yet? They know they don't have much time before the sun comes up..."

"I honestly don't know. Now will you _please_ go back into the gym? I need to know that you're alright. You can check in with me from there, you don't have to be here in person. _Please..._" She gave a sigh and then nodded to me before walking away. In my mind, I watched as she walked down the hall and knocked the 'secret' password... even with everything going on, she made me smile. _Secret password knock...._

_Leave me alone... I think it's a good idea. Oh by the way Rose... Lord Conta rang the Court, they're sending reinforcements._

_Thank God.... _Now I just hoped that they'd get here before we were all slaughtered.

"Everyone needs to take their places." I directed five of the eight Court guardians upstairs one on each side of the house and one in the main hall. Of the three remaining I sent Guardians Sharova and Baranski back to the west side with Grey, Eddie and Elyse; the other fire user. I was hesitant at first to give Sharova to the west side but Elyse had never used her magic defensively before and was a shaking, petrified mess, if she tired early or couldn't help like we hoped she would, then they'd need the extra help. We had Christian give her a quick lesson but she wasn't all that accurate, we hoped that in the heat of it all her aim might improve.... I sent Guardian Truman; the court head guardian with Dimitri and Christian back to the east side; having Christian with these two sort of evened out the numbers. Everyone had been at their stations for about half an hour when the first window shattered.

"Everyone ready... they're here." I said into the earpiece.

"It's ours..." Dimitri's voice came into my ear. "They're not coming in though." The urge to go to him was strong but before I could do anything, glass shattered in the kitchen. Mason, Alberta and James were again on my team and we all spread out. Alberta and James made their way towards the kitchen for recon... Hopefully they were only breaking windows trying to creep us out... We all looked up as we heard more glass shattering upstairs.

"What's going on people?" I asked impatiently.

"They're only smashing the glass at the moment." I thought that was odd at first, but then I thought of the reason... they were going to make it hard for us to function with all of this smashed glass everywhere so that once they finally got in, they would have an advantage.

_Rose... the wards... they're weakening. _

_How long do you think?_

_I don't know..._

"The wards are weakening everyone, be ready."

I don't know what they were doing to weaken the wards, but it took them another half hour before they finally broke them.

_They're here Liss... _

_Be safe Rose..._

_You too._

Two hours.... two hours to go. I thought it odd that they'd take the chance of attacking so close to sunrise, but then I thought that they probably thought that they'd just stay in the mansion once everyone was dead! Arrogant mongrels... Back-up was still more than an hour away... we just have to hold our own until then.

The double front doors burst open and one actually came off the hinges. I could see and hear them coming into the mansion all around and above me. Two strigoi came through the front door, and through from the kitchen to our right, another two from the left...

"Back-up's on their way guys, hold out till then..." An hour... a whole hour fighting strigoi... I really don't know if any of us were capable of surviving that long but we had to try... _Liss, get Conta to hurry them up... _Talking through the bond was more like sending instant messaging... no actual words like when you physically speak, it was weird... whole conversations could happen in seconds. As the first strigoi came upon us, we fought with everything we had. Again the fighting was hard, intense... but these ones must have only been young, they had no co-ordination in their attack and were easily dispatched.

"Katzev is down..." Said Guardian Rubin, who was one that I'd sent upstairs, that left four...

More strigoi came at us as another call came in; Guardian Foster from the rear of the mansion was unconscious... Two down and barely fifteen minutes into the fight, I hope we're killing more than our fair share... This time only three came at us, the female was once a Moroi, but she knew how to fight so she'd been turned a while ago. Fists flew at me with lightening speed and it took a few hits before I was able to block. I soon found a rhythm to her hits and anticipating the next blow; I grabbed her arm in an arm lock and spun myself around her. As she tried to follow, I brought the stake up into her heart.

"_Roza_!" Dimitri's voice grunted into my ear and instinctively, I looked around to the east side of the building to where he, Truman and Christian were; obviously they were calling for help.

"Go..." said Alberta as she fought. I didn't need to be told twice. I took off out through the kitchen and jumped the bench without missing a beat, took a sharp right and sprinted through the hallway that lead to the side where they were fighting. My heart dropped as I came out through the door. Truman was....unconscious...dead...I didn't know and I didn't have time to check. Christian looked like he was about to drop and Dimitri was fighting three. Seeing me, two broke off from Dimitri and came at me full force. I hadn't been aware of Lissa for some time now, but I suddenly felt a swell of darkness deep within me and it once again gave me everything I needed to bring them down. Dimitri was able to stake the one he was fighting just as the female I was fighting fell to the ground. I looked at him and saw deep gashes on his face, arms and chest.

"Are you alright Roza?" He said as he put a hand to my cheek.

"I'm fine... you however have had better days." He smiled weakly but I knew he had more in him.

"Oh yeah... I'm fine too. Thanks for asking you two..." I looked over just in time to see Christian start to sway.

"Come on... You need to get inside." I said grabbing his arm.

"No... I'm good to..."

"Oh shut it Christian. You're exhausted; you've done all you can do." I said as we dragged him to the gym. _Liss... Open up._

_Already waiting for you Rose._

As we got to the gym, the door opened and Lissa stood there with Conta and one of the other Moroi staff members. They grabbed hold of Christian and were going to get him to one of the feeders that lived permanently at the estate.

_Back soon... _I said silently to her. She nodded and closed the door as we turned to get back to the fighting. Looking at my watch I saw that the fighting had been going for about forty minutes or so... Hopefully we were gaining the upper hand.

We thought we'd go see how Eddie and the other fire user were going. If Christian was tired, I could only imagine how Elyse was fairing. As we came through the doors that lead out to the massive courtyard, I could see Grey and Elyse on the ground. From here they didn't look dead, but I didn't have time to check them. The three remaining guardians were fighting five strigoi but I could see them starting to weaken. As we fought, I heard the wonderful sound of cars screeching to a halt at the front of the mansion.... back up has arrived! Thank God!

I didn't know how many guardians came, but three joined us and soon they'd taken down the ones we'd been fighting. Baranski and Sharova dropped to their knees in exhaustion; Eddie stood gripping his knees and hanging his head while sucking in as much oxygen as he could.

"How.....many?" I asked through my panting.

"We brought twenty." He said obviously knowing I'd asked about reinforcement numbers. Within minutes 'clear' reports started coming through the earpieces...

"Clear at the rear..."

"Clear upstairs..."

"Clear out front..." came Alberta's voice. I looked over to my right and saw one of the new guardians checking on Grey and Elyse.

"Are they...?"

"They're fine. Just unconscious..." I nodded in relief.

"Second floor clear."

As we walked around in a daze of exhaustion, I was astounded at the amount of strigoi that were here. I knew there were a lot by the nausea that I felt, but I was still taken back by the sight around me. Guardian Truman was finally awake and he told me that he'd killed four before he was knocked out, it was only after being told that there were eleven dead strigoi out where they'd been fighting, that I realised that Dimitri had killed five strigoi on his own before I came out to help, he'd also killed two on this side with me. So by my count, he'd taken down ten on his own... amazing.

_Can we come out yet? _Lissa had been asking over and over if they could leave the gym but I kept saying no... not until we'd made sure that all strigoi were dead and their bodies removed. The thing that worried me the most was that in our search, the strigoi that I thought was the leader was nowhere to be found. He was either still around somewhere or he'd taken off when the others arrived. Either way, I smiled as the sun's first rays touched my face.


	49. Chapter 47

**Okay... Getting closer to the end now... Only a few to go... :-(  
Thank you all so much for your reviews, I'm happy to know that you are all still enjoying the story.  
Has everyone read my new story? It's only going to be about 10 chapters.. (Yeah I know...) Let me know what you all think  
and if I should continue it... I'll post the next chapter after this one...**

**Anyway, I hope you like this one...  
Sandy**

* * *

**Forty Seven**

"Rose!" Lissa yelled as she threw herself at me. I'd finally relented and said the Moroi could leave the gym. "Thank God you're okay."

"Liss, you knew I was alright, you were watching nearly the whole time."

"I know, but... Oh, will you just let me be happy you're alright please?" She was getting a little angry.

"Fine... I love you too." She glared at me even though I could feel that her anger had receded as quickly as it had come, then she walked away to go hug Christian; who was looking much better.

"Is everyone alright out here?" I smiled as I saw Tasha walking up to me. She hadn't been pleased when I told her to stay with the other Moroi in the gym; she wanted to be in the fight. But when I explained that I needed her there, that she would be the only defence the Moroi would have, as all the guardians would be outside...she relented.

"We lost four guardians, but it could have been worse. So far the strigoi count is up to thirty six." I said as I looked around at the destruction that was before me. The bodies of the strigoi were slowly being taken away for burning and those of the guardians who had fallen had been readied for transport back to the Royal Court. All in all, we'd been lucky, only losing four guardians in the fight. Two were ones that had been banished with me...James Butler and Aleksi Gregori and two were Court guardians...Katzev and Nikonov. I'd fought with James out the front and I'd worried then that he wouldn't last, I guess I was right...he was only young.

"Guardian Hathaway." Luke Belamy stood behind me battered and bruised but I could tell he had bad news. "Can the princess...ah, sorry...Her Majesty, come take a look at Guardian Christou? He's not doing real well."

I was about to speak when Liss walked up behind him. "Lead the way Luke." She said. This was her forte... caring for the injured. She knew she wasn't a fighter; as much as she wanted to be at times, so this was her way of feeling useful...doing her bit.

Looking around the room once more I noticed someone missing. I left Tasha and started walking towards the staircase when Guardian Rubin appeared at the top. "Guardian Rubin, is anyone up there?"

"Only guardians, who are you looking for?" Without answering, I quickly darted over to the doorway that led to the gym. On the way down the hallway I opened the other doors, although I was pretty sure that he wouldn't have been in the mood for a movie or a quick game of bowling... When I knew he wasn't there, I finally went to the gym... it was empty. I started getting a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach as fear crept into my body.

_Rose? What's wrong?_

_Where's Adrian?_

_I don't know._

_Was he with you in the gym?_

_Ah, yeah. I saw him there. _I could see in her mind that she _had_ seen him there, but I could also see that she hadn't seen him in a while. I turned and ran back to the others.

"Alberta! Adrian's missing." _SHIT_! Can't anything go right?

Within thirty seconds guardians were sent out to find him. "We'll find him Rose." I nodded...

_Liss, can you see if you can contact him?_

_I'll try, but I've been healing. Give me a few minutes. _I could feel her exhaustion and I knew that even though she'd learnt how to dream walk, it still took her a lot of effort to do it, much like Adrian with the healing... I continued to search with the other guardians, but Liss soon came back to tell me she couldn't reach him; I dreaded to know the reason why she couldn't.

I needed to know if anyone had found the strigoi leader guy yet so I gave a quick description of his appearance but all reports came back negative. If Adrian was gone, then this guy must have taken him.

"Rose, calm down. We'll find him." Said Dimitri as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Can you feel if the leader is around?"

"No... If he is, then he's not in the house." Dimitri and I looked at each other...thinking the same thing.

"The cabin..." we both said at the same time.

"Alberta... Check the cabin." I said into the earpiece, they were already outside and I went to take off after them but I realised that Dimitri was following me. "No..." I said to him. "I need you to stay here with Liss. Protect her at all costs." I could see in his eyes that he wanted to come with me, ever since Hope tortured me he'd almost become my own personal guardian.

"There are plenty of guardians..." he started to say.

"No," I interrupted him. "I trust you; I need _you_ to do this for me. Please." His jaw clenched as he struggled between his heart and his mind, but I could see he would do as I asked. I nodded and then turned to follow the other guardians. It didn't take long before I caught up to the others at the cabin.

"Alberta." I said with a nod.

"If there's anyone in there they won't be coming out until nightfall..."

"Oh, he's in there." My internal alarm was swirling in my stomach. "There's at least two, three at the most." I only hoped that if they had Adrian, then he would be alright. I stood up and went to walk over to the cabin.

"Rose!" Alberta grabbed my arm to pull me back down, but I shook her lose and kept walking.

"Adrian, are you there?" I knew that the strigoi couldn't come out, not if they wanted to live, and even if they didn't, they wouldn't get to me before being burnt to a crisp by the sun. There was no reply but I made out the shape of someone standing inside through the window.

"Hello Rosemarie..." His voice was chilling, how did he know who I was? I'd never seen this guy before in my life; well maybe I had in a previous fight and just didn't remember him.

"Who are you? And let me say that if you harm Adrian in any way, I will make your death as slow and painful as possible, do you understand me?" I yelled.

The laugh coming from him made my skin crawl. "Now, now child..." _Child!... I'll give him child..._ "Is that anyway to speak to your elders?"

"Probably not, but you're not my elder. You're a mistake of nature that I fully intend to rectify. Come out here and show me how tough you are..."

"Oh my, you are so much like your mother." I stiffened at the mention of my mother... how in the hell...? "I haven't seen the feisty Janine Hathaway in so long... How is she these days?"

"If you want to stroll down memory lane, come and get me seeing as how I'm so much like her." The sounds of laughter told me that there was indeed more than one inside. "Adrian... are you in there?"

"Oh, he's here my dear so I'll tell you what. I'll give you a choice... I didn't come here for him; as tasty as he is... I came here for you, soooo, I'll swap. You for him..."

"Don't do it Rose..." came Alberta's voice.

_They come first... _I thought to myself. I had to do anything I could to rescue Adrian, I couldn't... I wouldn't let him die.

_Don't you dare leave me Rose Hathaway._.. Lissa voice bellowed into my mind.

_Liss._.. _I can't let him die._

_You can't leave me... you're promised to me...you're __my__ guardian. You swore to protect __my __life with your own, not Adrian's. _I knew she was trying to guilt me into not doing anything rash, but I couldn't let him die.

"Why did you come for me?" I yelled out.

"Why wouldn't I? I've been searching for you for years and when you finally left that retched school, I thought I'd found my chance. But you're a crafty one at hiding... I know where you get that from..."

"That's not an answer. Why me? How do you know me?"

"You're my daughter Rosemarie... I've come to take you home." What was left of my mental fortitude suddenly slipped...

"Abe?" Alberta's voice came through my earpiece and at first it didn't register. I spun to face her but she looked away realising she'd let slip that she'd known who my father was all these years.

"What's your name?" I yelled out shakily...

"Ibrahim Mazur, but you can call me Abe... or daddy, whichever you prefer." _Abe... Ibrahim... my father, my father is a strigoi!_

"Roza, don't..." Dimitri said panting behind me. Lissa had sent reinforcements. "We'll find another way, we know they can't leave until sunset, we have time."

"Are you sure you're willing to take the chance he'll still be in his original state of being by then Rosemarie?" Abe said. "Nightfall is a long, long time away... and I'm beginning to feel a little peckish." All my life I'd wanted to know who my father was and now I'm finding out he is strigoi? Why in the hell wouldn't my mother have told me this?

"Don't do this." Dimitri said as he grabbed my arm. "How do you know if he's still alive? They could have already turned him, or be in the process of doing it. Don't do this... I can't lose you." My heart was being ripped in two again... Dimitri was the other half of my soul, but I still loved Adrian too, nothing like my feelings for Dimitri, but I had to protect him...

"Guarantee me he's still alive and you haven't tried to turn him."

"_No_ Rose!" Dimitri growled between his teeth.

"I've already told you that he's fine Rosemarie..." he growled. "Time's up child, what's your decision?"

I couldn't believe after everything that has happened to me recently that this is how my life would end... but here I was. I looked to Dimitri and grabbed his face in my hands.

"I love you with all my heart and soul. Don't let me live like that." Then I kissed him goodbye.

"NO!" He yelled. I pulled out of his grasp and ran towards the cabin. "_ROSE_...!"

I stopped at the door and willed myself not to look back. "Bring him out." I said loudly.

"Well, you know that's not possible child. I'll give him to the black haired one though." _Black haired one? _I had no idea who he spoke of until I turned around. Tasha... She walked towards me and I panicked... I couldn't protect two Moroi by myself... I shook my head at her and told her to go back, but she wouldn't listen. My fath...I mean, the strigoi... obviously thought giving Adrian to a Moroi would be safer than giving him to a guardian, well I hoped that was his reasoning. The door opened and Adrian's unconscious body was being held by a snivelling, skanky strigoi.

"Come on in child..." The strigoi who was once my father said.

"Adrian first."

"I don't think so... You first, then they can have him." And to prove his point the skanky one opened his mouth and went to bite Adrian's neck.

"NO! Alright."

"Rose, please." I could hear the pain in Dimitri's voice, but I'd sworn to protect the Moroi with my own life and in a small way, it made me happy to know I would die protecting someone I loved. I didn't look at Dimitri, but I did look to Tasha. My eyes narrowed as I saw her nod her head at me in the smallest of nods... What did she have planned? I was hyperaware of my stake at my side, under my jacket as I walked up the single step in front of the door of the cabin. I stepped through the doorway and moved to the side.

"Let him go, now." I demanded. My...once upon a time father nodded his head to the skanky one who in turn pushed Adrian out the door into Tasha's arms. Before I could look back at the strigoi though, Tasha reached her now empty arms towards us and threw fire into the cabin. I dropped and dove out through the open doorway, landing on the other side of Tasha's feet to where Adrian laid unconscious. She threw more and more fire into the cabin and before long I could see it lapping the inside walls. The strigoi inside started screaming and hissing as they backed away from the flames. I grabbed one of Adrian's arms and then started pulling Tasha back too but she continued throwing fire onto the outside walls and roof. I felt regret watching the cabin burn, regret for never getting to know my father. Now that the cabin was well alight, I pulled her and Adrian back to the others and I could see by Dimitri's face he was furious.

No-one moved or spoke as the cabin of horrors burnt to the ground. The dying screams of the one who used to be my father was eerily unnerving. I'd never felt regret seeing a strigoi die before, but then again, I'd never come across one before that I'd known previously. He being my father only made it worse...

While watching it burn, I had time to think of my actions lately; I'd made an absolute balls up mess of things by my involvement with Dimitri. I'd compromised the safety of the most important Moroi in my life, Lissa and Adrian... Dimitri's want and need to protect me over them was proof of that... Even the queen warned me... what did she say? _"When bodies start mounting up, no-one will be able to say that I didn't do all I could. After all, it's your fault in the first place Miss Hathaway."_ How was I going to rectify this?


	50. Chapter 48

**I know, I know... I'm late putting this up... Busy weekend... :-)  
Anyway, thanks for all of your reviews, you know how much I love reading them. Only a couple of chapters to go now,  
I'm going to miss this story... (considering it was only supposed to be a short story!) hehehe  
Oh well... Anyway, on with the story...**

* * *

**Forty Eight**

Everyone walked in silence as Dimitri carried Adrian back to the house. I knew he wasn't impressed that I was willing to exchange my life for Adrian's but that was what being a guardian meant... laying down our lives for them. I loved Dimitri with all my heart but I loved Lissa and Adrian too. I don't know what I'd do if someone ever made me choose one of the three; I couldn't. But that is exactly what being a guardian means... I have to choose. But instead of choosing one of the three, I only have to choose between two. Moroi or Dimitri. But could I really do that?

Lissa was waiting by the pool as we broke through the trees and came running down to meet us.

_I'm sorry Rose. I had to send him._ She said through the bond.

As much as I knew she would do anything to keep me alive, even being a little underhanded, I had so much on my mind right now I just ignored what she said for now. _Can you check Adrian please; I don't know what they did to him. Hopefully they didn't do anything...irreversible. _

She knew what I meant so she nodded and opened herself up to spirit so she could check his aura. I looked through the bond to see that his aura was still shining his normal bright gold and hopefully he would stay that way. She directed Dimitri to place him on one of the deck chairs and quickly went to work on healing him as much as she could. The feeling of utter bliss flowed through the bond and for a few wonderful seconds, I revelled in spirit.

"We need to talk Roza." Dimitri said beside me and without looking at him, I answered.

"Yes, we do." I looked to the ground before taking a steadying deep breath. "Guardian Rubin... How long before we're ready to leave?"

"Half an hour and we should be on the road." I nodded in reply. Liss was now finished but Adrian was still out of it.

_Do you think they tried to turn him Liss?_

_From what I can tell...no, but then I've never seen someone straight after they've been... well, you know. _She said with a shrug of her shoulders. _What's wrong Rose?_

I didn't realise she'd picked up on my almost depressive thoughts about Dimitri and when she asked me what was wrong, my heart clenched. Speaking the way we were meant that I couldn't block her out. She stood up to face me and then wobbled over in her weakened state to grab me by my shoulders. I dropped my head as I knew I was in for a lecture.

_Do NOT turn you back on what you two have Rose. You deserve your happiness. If you give up on this, what has all this been for? What did those four guardians die for? _My head snapped up at those words...

"**What!**" I yelled, I couldn't believe she would say that...

_You heard me... We followed you of our own free will, because we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the law about Dhampir relationships was wrong. If you give up on him, on your love, then everything that has happened has been for nothing. Is that what you want?_

"No... but..."

_No buts Rose. Don't do this. I know how much you love one another; I feel it every time you look at him, every time you touch._

_I've never denied how much I love him Liss... but look at what that love has cost me and everyone around me. People have lost their lives today because they were out here...with me. Dimitri's feelings for me have...stood in the way of what he's always believed._

_And what's that?_

_That you come first. _

"That's bull!"

"No it's not..."

_It is so and you know it. _

_Liss, his desire to protect me before overshadowed his desire to protect you and Christian. And to tell you the truth, if you , me and Dimitri were out somewhere and we were attacked, I really don't know what I would do... Would I throw myself in front of you...or him? We've both been compromised._

_I trust you Rose, I always have and besides... you'll never be in that situation because from this moment on, I will have at least ten guardians around me when outside the wards. So you'll never have to choose. That said, let me just say this... I won't let you give up on your relationship._

"Oh yeah... How are you going to stop me?"

_Because if you do...I'll fire your ass! _Then she kissed my cheek and walked back into the mansion.

I gasped and I was left utterly stunned.

"You wouldn't dare!" I yelled out after her.

"Try me Rose..." I looked around me to see everyone staring at me in total confusion.

"What in the hell was that all about Rosie?" Mason asked me. "What's bull, and what wouldn't Liss dare to do?" I hadn't realised that we'd said things out loud... I thought we'd done it all silently.

"Nothing... She's just given me her first QUEENY order."

"I heard that Rose." She yelled out...

I looked around again and noticed that Dimitri wasn't out here. _Where is he?_

_Fix it Rose... _

_Will you get out of my head please and go feed before we leave. _I felt Lissa's slight amusement through the bond. She knew she had me right where she wanted me, she knew I wouldn't risk her following through with her threats after all, she wasn't the weak, timid and scared Lissa that she once was and she also knew how much I didn't want to choose between them.

"Can you make sure everything is in the cars ready to go and watch Liss please? I have something that I need to take care of." I asked Mason.

"Yeah sure. I'll let you know when we're ready to leave."

"Thanks Mase... Oh, and by the way, call me Rosie one more time and I'll break your legs."

"Like to see you try..." he mumbled through a smile as he walked away.

"Mase you should know me well enough by now to know that I never '_try'_ to do anything...I just do!" I yelled out... I was Rose Hathaway after all and I _had_ to have the last word in any conversation. The other guardians had taken Adrian inside so I knew he was safe for now. So the only thing that I had to do now was find and talk to Dimitri.

888888

As soon as Rose and Lissa started their 'silent' conversation, I walked up to our room to collect my thoughts and calm down. I couldn't believe she would do what she did...well, yeah... I guess I can. She is a guardian, through and through. I was a fool to think that she could really follow though when she said that she'd walk away from this life. Deep down I knew it was asking too much from her. I'd been away from this life for two years with Christian; to leave again now wouldn't be that hard especially if I was with Rose. But she'd grown up in St Vlad's, taught that 'they come first' since she was born. I knew she battled everyday between her desire to protect Lissa and her desire to be with me. I knew she loved me, I've never doubted that...even when she wouldn't admit it herself. But it wasn't until an hour ago that I finally accepted that when push comes to shove, her desire to protect Moroi will outweigh everything else in her life. Even me...

But I could probably accept that, I could live with that knowledge if I knew I could still hold her in my arms at the end of the day, but something happened out there... she kissed me goodbye. And then afterwards, when the cabin burnt down... I saw the guardian mask slip back onto her face, that same guardian mask that took me so long to break down when I forced her to admit her feelings for me... it was back and I knew what that meant. She'd made a choice...and it wasn't me.

I'd been standing on the balcony of our room for Lord only knows how long, thinking about how everything had changed in such a short time frame. I took a deep breath and turned to leave but nearly had a heart attack when I came face to face with the woman who was about to break my heart. I hadn't heard her come in, I must have been deeper in thought than I realised. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I'm sorry." She said softly... here it comes...

"For what?"

"For everything, I couldn't let him die Dimitri; I had to do whatever it took to save his life. I'm sorry that in doing what I did; I hurt you."

"I understand...they come first." I took a deep breath and looked around the room as I continued to speak. "Everything from here is downstairs, so I'll see you down there." I couldn't stand here anymore so I stepped around her and walked towards the door.

"Dimitri wait..." I stopped walking and closed my eyes as I waited for the words that would herald the death knell of our relationship, then without looking at her, I spoke up first.

"Rose... I understand. You can't stop being a guardian and as much as I..."

"_Dimitri_!" she interrupted. "Will you please shut up!" I turned around to face her and saw that her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"But for this to work, we need to set up some guidelines..." _Work? Did I have things wrong? _Seeing my confusion; she smiled before going on..."I'm gathering you thought that I was going to break things off...?"

"Ah, yeah..." She knew me so well...but I knew her too. "I saw you make a decision Rose... I saw the look in your eyes..."

"I hadn't made a decision, not really; I did have a lot of things running around in my head though. But someone kicked my ass and opened my eyes." I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow in disbelief at that statement. "Metaphorically of course..." She said and I couldn't help but smile. She walked towards me and stopped leaving only an inch between us. "We have to work out a way for 'us' not to get in the way of our duty and our duty not to get in the way of us... I want to be greedy for once, I want it all." The vice that threatened to crush my heart finally slipped away and I could breathe again and I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

"Your wish is my command... You want it all? Then 'all' is what you shall have." I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up into my arms. "Please don't ever do that to me again..."

"I won't comrade..."

8888888

Rose's Point of View

The closer we got to the Royal Court, the more my emotions knotted themselves up in the pit of my stomach and to make things worse, Lord Conta kept casting glances at me the whole way. Finally getting sick of the constant glares, I spoke up.

"Is there something on your mind Lord Conta?" I asked. Dimitri glanced over to me from the driver's seat wondering what the problem was.

"Well, yes there is Guardian Hathaway. I wanted to thank you for what you did back there. After everything that... you and your colleagues were put through recently... Well, you have my respect and thanks." I had a few years experience at keeping my guardian mask on in all situations, but I think that those around me could see the shock in my eyes. "What you did or what you were willing to do for Lord Ivashkov, that was the most selfless thing I've ever seen."

"Thank you Lord Conta, that means a lot, but what happened back there is something that guardians all over the world do every day. I'd lay a bet that there have been many other guardians who _have_ swapped their lives for their charges in the past; whether that meant being killed or turned, because that is what we do. And the only thing we've ever craved in return has been respect for our sacrifices." He nodded his head slowly while letting my words sink in...

"Well, a lot has happened since you...were sent away. Society at large has come to the realisation that we have treated dhampirs unfairly for quite some time now and we know that we have to change our ways. Not only for the safety of our people, but because it's the right thing to do. I hope that it won't take long before you believe and trust that we intend to right this wrong."

_WOW! That was..._ Lissa was sitting at the back of the SUV between Christian and Mason and was just as shocked at Conta's speech as I was.

_Yeah, I know... I really, really want to believe him. With everything in me I do... Has he told you anything about how they're going to achieve this...?_

_No, why don't you ask him? _I glanced over to Lissa and she smiled and gave a quick nod.

"Lord Conta. I _really_ want to trust your words. You have no idea how much I want to, but how do you propose to make that much of a difference?"

"Well, I had planned on waiting until we returned to Court where we could speak to her majesty first, but I suppose there's no harm in letting you in on this now. First thing is...the council members met before I left for Dashkov Manor and one of the things we all agreed on was proposing a new law... one that states that dhampirs have the right to marry whomever they choose without prejudice."

_WOW... _Lissa's amazement and excitement was filtering through the bond and as much as I wanted to ride the high with her, too much had happened for me to get too excited.

"And if a dhampir chose to marry...royalty?"

"Then that would be their choice."

"Even if it were your daughter?" Alicia Conta was Lord Conta's pride and joy, he showered her with every comfort his family money could afford, and that amounted to a lot of comfort...

"If my daughter was to fall in love and that man treated her with kindness and devotion, then I would not stand in the way of that love. Who it came from would be irrelevant." I kept my gaze on him as I watched his face and all I could see in it was honesty.

"And two guardians? In the past they've had to either give each other up or leave."

"That will no longer happen. I know of at least one guardian who has shown the ability to protect while being in a relationship; I'm sure there are many others out there with the same ability." I couldn't help but glance back to Dimitri who was staring at the road ahead of him with a grin on his face.

"I know for a fact there are, Lord Conta. Thank you for your honesty, I really do hope that all Moroi will come to see what we dhampir's are truly capable of."

"I'm sure they will Guardian Hathaway." I didn't need to look at Lissa to know what she was thinking... it was flooding through the bond like a tidal wave. Hope, excitement, elation...


	51. Chapter 49

**Hi Everyone, sorry I've taken so long to update... But her 'tis... The last chapter of Alternate Universe.  
I'll still be writing my new stories, My New Life and Fight Back, so if you'd like to read them or  
continue reading them, whatever the case may be, that would be great.  
But don't forget to leave me a review... I have a lot of people alerting and favouriting, but not many reviewing...  
Anyway, I hope that I answer a lot of your questions about this story by the end. I have no plans  
to continue this story, but you never know what the future will hold.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter and thank you so much for your support and reviews  
that you've all given me. You all put a smile on my face every day!**

**Sandy**

**Forty Nine**

I honestly didn't think I'd ever pass through these gates again. Seeing the 'hidden vampire city' again caused many emotions to go through me, concern, apprehension, excitement and I suppose a certain amount of longing for familiarity. It wasn't until we started driving again that I realised that I'd been holding my breath at the entrance. I think there was some part of me that was waiting for the royal guard to pop out of the bushes and take us all to jail, that thought hadn't completely left me yet though... It was sort of like waiting for the other shoe to fall... We followed the other SUV's up to the Royal residence and went into the underground parking. As I got out of the car I looked around to the other guardian's that were banished with me and saw that they were feeling exactly like me.

"Could cut the air with a knife down here hey Rose?" Alberta mused.

"I thought it was just me..."

"Nope... not just you."

"I really want to believe them, Alberta." She just nodded in agreement, after all... what else could she say? Two guardians that I hadn't seen before walked out of a set of double wooden doors and walked over to us.

"Your majesty, if you'd just follow us please?" He said while bowing to Lissa.

"Thank you Guardian..."

"Guardian Moody Your majesty, Randy Moody." I tried really hard to keep my mask on but I don't think I was too successful, my eyes widened slightly before I was able to gain control of my face. As Lissa passed me; she gave me a stern look accompanied with a jab to the ribs from her elbow, it was either my face that gave away my thoughts or she had actually heard my thoughts...

"Good to meet you Randy." She said without missing a beat. I however covered up my almost laugh with a well executed throat clearing...

"Sorry... got a tickle in my throat." I said with a smirk. Liss just walked off shaking her head...

_Don't you dare make me laugh you cow... _She said silently.

_Well don't call me cow... Ducky!_

_Pig! _Oh...!

_Horse._.. I couldn't help but smile...

_...Turkey!_ She said after some thought... and then we both started laughing softly. I was aware of the others around us; the ones who didn't know about our bond were either confused or annoyed at our snickering, or the ones who did know were wondering what we were talking about.

_I can't believe that's his name._... _I nearly had to bite my tongue off. _

_I know... _She said almost with a growl...

As we walked through the lobby that was on the other side of the doors from the car park, we saw four elevators on the far wall. The guardians that stood beside each door pressed the buttons and as we got there, the doors opened and we all piled in.

"We will be meeting with Tatiana first." Said Lord Conta. "She would like to speak to you before we get you settled in."

"Yes, that would good thank you." Liss said from behind me. I looked back to her and saw her standing side by side with Christian; their hands locked tightly together. I smiled and then looked to Mason who stood at my right but his eyes were firmly planted on the doors in front of him. Dimitri stood to my left and he too stood stock still in front of Christian. When the doors opened, we found ourselves in a large room. It took me a second to realise that this was in fact the room that I'd attended a ball in once when we were still in school, we were now entering it from another direction this time...

"Your Majesty." We all turned towards where the voice had come from to see Tatiana sitting at large table with probably thirty or more chairs at it. I remembered the faces of those that sat with her; the council members who threw me out!

"Please, call me Lissa."

"Alright, thank you. Lissa... I thought that we should meet to go over a few things before you're officially sworn in as our next monarch." My eyes narrowed as the hairs on the back of my neck bristled, my distrust in these people was increasing with every second and I didn't like it one bit.

"I've already signed the papers..." Lissa said in a confident voice.

"Yes, true, but an official ceremony will need to take place before you are 100% legally recognised as the new queen." I could feel Lissa's unease through the bond and it only served to amplify my own misgivings. "There is no need for guardians to be present in this meeting, so if you don't mind..." she said to the Dhampir's in the room. "That means you too Rose." I didn't move a muscle.

_I'm not going anywhere Liss..._

"My guardians will be staying Tatiana; I have no secrets from them." Tatiana's eyes narrowed and she glared at me.

"Fine. The coronation ceremony is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, so we should get down to business." After that Lissa walked to the head of the table while Tatiana and the council members filled her in on the most pressing concerns going on around Court. It was quite boring actually and I'd found that I'd been staring at a painting for the last few minutes when Lissa's voice echoed in my head.

_Rose, pay attention._

_Sorry... _I said as my eyes flicked to hers for an instant as I became aware of the conversation at hand.

"Speaking of the issue regarding the guardians..." Lissa said. "Lord Conta has filled me in on some of what has been happening since we were...removed." The look she gave the 'former' queen almost made my guardian mask slip but on the inside I was doing the victory dance...

"Yes your majesty, it is the most pressing issue at the moment." Lady Conta said.

"Well, I do hope that everyone here understands that in order for them to come back to us and have the confidence that they will no longer be treated as second class citizens, it is _us_ who need to change not only our thinking but also our laws. I know that everyone here is intelligent enough to realise that the way we have treated the dhampirs in the past is the reason they're leaving us now." I could see that there were a few here that wanted to disagree with her but they _were_ smart enough to know if they spoke against her, their credibility would crumble in front of the others.

_I want to you speak Rose, so be ready. _I looked at her with wide eyes and dread with what she wanted from me. "I know that there are some here that will disagree with me," she continued, "...but that's just too bad. What you have done in the past obviously hasn't been working, so it's time for a new approach. Guardian Hathaway, please take a seat." She motioned to a chair a couple down from her... right in between Tatiana and Lord Voda... Oh joy!

_What are you doing Liss? _I growled at her as I walked to the seat.

"What better way to help heal the hurt and scars of the past than ask those who have been hurt. Guardian Hathaway, from a guardian's point of view, are there any changes that you feel _need_ to happen so that those who have resigned may choose to come back?"

_This was not nice Liss... _"Well, the main issue is respect."

"What do you mean Guardian Hathaway?" Lady Ozera was sitting back in her chair relaxed, she looked a lot like Christian and Tasha but her demeanour was definitely different. Somehow I knew she was _not_ a fire user.

"Well, as a race, we are not respected at all. This was shown by Lady Ivashkov's comments to me when she banished me." Tatiana stiffened when I referred to her words at the farce of a trial I had at the academy. "Something along the lines of 'that's what we're bred for... to guard Moroi.'... We're not dogs, we're not animals, we're people who have the same hopes and dreams that _you_ all have, we also have the same need to be loved as you do but if by some chance we find it, we are forced to relinquish that love. I know for a fact that this is the reason that most dhampirs do not even start their training in the first place and lead a normal life, a life with a family and love... you know...what you all have. I may be wrong, but I doubt it, but if more dhampirs knew that they _could_ train, they couldbecome guardians and _still_ be able to have family and love in their lives...I think more would choose to guard." I hadn't planned on speaking at all, so Lissa and I were both surprise that I'd said so much and I felt so much pride come through the bond; I turned to her and smiled... But I wasn't quite finished...

"Also, speaking from the unique position of being a dhampir female, the way we are seen by all moroi _has_ to change. There is no choice for you in this. The way that female dhampirs who have chosen to raise a family instead of becoming guardians, are seen as that of being blood whores. Why is our need and dream to have children any different to yours? Why is our choice denigrated to something dirty? Moroi have a choice of who they have children with, their own race or with ours... We do not have that choice. We only have you... and because of that we are victimised. We are treated with disdain and disrespect. We are beaten by moroi who hide safely behind their guardians (who know that they will be punished if they let anything happen to their charges.) We are used, abused and raped by those who we are expected to protect with our very lives... Can you see why we are now leaving you?"

The Moroi around the table were utterly silent. Some had looks on their faces like they'd just become aware of something bad they did while under the influence of alcohol, others looked like they were finally getting it but didn't want to admit it...

"You're right." Lady Badica stood up and walked around from her side of the table to me. Out of habit, I stood up from my chair and nodded my head in respect but what shocked me as well as others was when she got to me... she did the same thing. "We as a race have become so ignorant and self absorbed that we've become weak in both body and mind. We used to be a strong race, we used to fight alongside of our guardians, guardians who used to respect us, guardians who used to die for us because they loved us, not simply out of duty and the knowledge that if our race died out then so did they... We need to change." I was stunned beyond belief at her words...then she nodded to me once again before walking back to her seat, but she thought of something else she wanted to say once she got there. "We need to become strong again, we need to be respected again and the only way for this to happen is to show the respect to those that we have wronged so immensely. Thank you guardian Hathaway for opening _my_ eyes to my ignorance."

"And mine..." said Lord Szelsky. "Your majesty, I think that we need to retire on this and maybe come up with ideas on how to rectify it and bring those ideas to a meeting tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea, thank you Lord Szelsky." Lissa said.

_Holy shit Rose... that was truly – I don't have words to describe what you just accomplished. You are truly amazing Rose. Without you, none of what has happened would ever have eventuated and I'm pretty sure that we all would have died a slow and painful death._

_Thanks Liss. But you're pretty awesome yourself you know. _

_Only with you by my side..._

_Always. _

88888888

Five years later.

That next day, the meeting that took place after my little speech was enormously productive, I never thought that I'd live to see the day that we would have the respect given to us that we now had. The coronation went off without a hitch and Lissa became our new queen. Our initial uneasiness about returning to court was laid to rest as many new laws started being passed in council meetings. For the first time in recorded history a new council was set up. Young and old moroi and dhampirs now made up a new political council that the separate moroi and dhampir councils answered to. Twelve months after the new laws started to be put into place, more and more female dhampirs started their training, and we even had older dhampirs from all around the world come into the academies and wished to resume their training that they'd previously walked away from. By the end of Lissa's second year as queen, marriages between dhampirs had become more common and there were quite a few between moroi and dhampirs. Some of _those_ marriages were shocking at first and we started to realise just how many dhampirs and their charges had found love together.

I too am now married... Dimitri and I finally took the plunge three months ago, we're both in our mid twenties now and we both knew it was what we wanted more than anything and as you could imagine, Liss went all out on the ceremony... She may be queen, but underneath it all, she's still Lissa. She too is married...yup, you guessed it, she married Christian _and _she's pregnant... both of them just glow with extreme happiness these days...

There was one other newly formed council that was a first in the history books, the Moroi Guardian Council... _yeah_, who would have thought that there were Moroi around who actually wanted to become guardians. Tasha and Christian were both on the council and I got the shock of my life when Mia Rinaldi stepped forward to become a member. Apparently her Moroi father had been killed in a strigoi attack which left her mother and her unprotected. She told me that after seeing what happened to Hope and then the death of her father, she needed to take control of her life and future... she trained hard and became one of the first inducted Moroi Guardians just over two years ago.

The last five years have not happened without a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears but we now have more promised guardians than at any other time in recorded history and for the first time in centuries, every Moroi...Royal or not, fighting or not, has at least one guardian, most have two. There are still blood whores around, but they are slowly being helped to leave that life, to get over their addictions and are being shown that they deserve happiness. There are still Moroi who try to take advantage of those who aren't in a position to stand up to them, but those incidences are becoming rarer as the months pass. The majority of their guardians no longer stand back and let them abuse dhampir women, they intervene and protect them, some have even requested transfers after their charges go back to old ways. This has worried the moroi so much that they are willingly changing their behaviour rather than risk that they'll be unprotected. For centuries, guardians were unable to just leave their charges... if they tried; they were blacklisted and then couldn't find another charge so they'd end up taking cruel charges or guarding prisoners in some God forsaken prison in the middle of nowhere. This is no longer the case and the Moroi know it.

Some of the strigoi battles have been hard over the last few years, when they saw that things were changing in our world, that we were fighting back...they banded together, they started changing more humans, going on more 'Moroi raids'. We lost good people, both Moroi and Dhampirs, but now...we are winning. Strigoi numbers are at their lowest that they've been in nearly a century. Moroi numbers are increasing like never before as they all know that they are more protected as well as the fact that now, more time is spent and invested in our scientific departments tackling the issues of low Moroi fertility rates. But the scientific breakthrough that will have the biggest impact our world has ever seen, happened three months ago... Scientists have finally found a way for dhampirs to conceive children together. The first dhampir/dhampir pregnancy has been achieved... now we just have to wait to see if the pregnancy not only survives, but also produces a healthy child.

"Rose, please promise me that you will take it easy. We don't know what to expect." Dr Peters said to me. I'd come to know her quite well since coming to court, after all, my propensity to injure myself hadn't diminished over time.

"Do you really think I'd do anything that could in any way jeopardise my child?" I asked her seriously.

"Not intentionally no... But Rose, I think I've seen more of _your_ body than I've seen of my own over the last few years, you can't help yourself."

"Oh ha ha, very funny. You know that I've taken myself of guard duty so I won't be putting myself in harm's way, and do you really think that Dimitri is going to let me do anything harmful? He's already smothering me." I looked over to him where he sat beside me and he just looked at me and shrugged while doing the 'eyebrow' thing...

"Would you have it any other way my love?" He said smiling.

"No..."

"Then stop complaining." I couldn't argue, but me being me had to do something, so I poked my tongue at him.

"Well as long as you understand the risks and promise me that you will call me if you experience anything out of the ordinary. Your pregnancy is too new to know what to expect, so you have to be careful. This child could be Dhampir or Moroi or even human... we just don't know."

"Don't put that on the kid just yet Doc... _Human_? That would be a disaster!" And it would be... that would be the end of dhampir's having kids together... The Moroi have accepted a lot, but Dhampir's producing humans... I think they might object to _that_.

"Well, I'm just saying... We just don't know what to expect so if you experience any pain, even slight pain, please ring me. Any weird cravings... if the child turns out to be Moroi then you may need extra blood..." I hadn't thought of that... _Eww_!

Mason has finally found love too, a beautiful and classy non-royal Moroi named Louisa Gray. She came to the royal Court from England to be inducted as the English representative of the Moroi Guardian Council. She's a water user like Mia but her skills are out of this world, she is _deadly_. She can not only suck the water right out of the air, but also the water out of the bodies of the strigoi, leaving them looking like prunes and writhing on the ground. Mason looks at her like the second coming of Jesus himself... He adores her. Eddie is with Mia, surprise, surprise. They tried to hide it, but when Mason found out about them he did his normal thing and made their lives a living hell until they admitted it and now they're married and expecting their first child.

And Adrian... Well Adrian finally got a happy ending... It was only six months after we returned to Court that we found ourselves in a fight with strigoi while out of the wards, Tasha, Christian and Adrian had to attend meetings in a small town just outside New York and on the way back from the airport we were attacked. We had eight guardians with us but we were out outnumbered two to one. Tasha fought bravely but just as the last of the strigoi were being taken care of, she was killed... We loaded back into the cars, Adrian refused to leave her body behind and that's where he brought her back to life. That is also where we all found out about the relationship they'd been keeping to themselves. But we all knew what his healing Tasha meant... they would now be bonded. Their bond developed a lot faster than Lissa's and mine did. Tasha started hearing Adrian's thoughts only two months after he'd saved her and then it only took them another six months after that to tie the knot! They now have three kids... Thomas Christian Ivashkov aged three and twins Brianna Rose and Nastassja Liza Ivashkov aged eleven months.

But the biggest shock...well to me anyway, is Lissa's new guardian, the one who is replacing me until I can come back. My mother. When Lissa became queen, she returned to Court with her charge for the coronation. Things didn't go real well between us at first, you know... all the abandonment issues I had against her, but over the years we've found a common ground. We'll probably never have the normal mother/daughter relationship, but what we have is fairly close I suppose. Her charge took a position on the new Moroi/Dhampir ruling council so he will be well guarded here by the court guardians, leaving mother with the opportunity to guard Lissa. She won't admit it, but we all know that she is bursting with excitement over the fact that she is now the queen's number one guardian and she rules with an iron fist. When I told her about Abe... she was heartbroken. She'd lost contact with him over the years and I realised that what they had was more than just the normal 'dhampir got pregnant by a moroi' thing... They really did love each other but my mother was too hardnosed to go against the rules back then and be with the man she loved, so she did what most Dhampir women did... she handed me over to the academy when I was old enough so that she could go back to guarding.

Alberta has finally retired and living a quiet life here at court...with a man! Yeah I know! Weird hey... He's a guardian that she knew from the academy where she trained as a teenager. He graduated a year ahead of her, they'd seen each other over the years at different functions etc that their charges had attended, but now that there are so many guardians and novices waiting in the wings, older guardians are able to retire earlier if that's what they wanted to do and have a life. Some of the now retired guardians are looking after their grandchildren so that their guardian children can continue to work.

So much has happened in such a short time, and sometimes it makes my head swim. We still have the odd few Moroi that look down their noses at Dhampirs, but we can all see that they are all too willing to accept and embrace the now almost overflowing ranks of guardians.

Some parts of our community have estimated that within ten years, the possibility of seeing the final strigoi die will come to pass. I hope that happens, I hope that I get to see a future where my unborn child will live in a world that strigoi do not exist other than in the history books and in people's memories. If that happens, there will still be a need for guardians because we all know that there are greedy people out there who will trade what we have accomplished over the last five years for an undying existence. But for now... I'm smiling. I know that for the next year, I get to go to bed and then wake up beside the man that I love with all of my heart and soul and in just under eight months I will hold in my arms a flesh and blood testimony of our love.

Sometimes I get scared to go to sleep because I think that I'm going to wake up and all of this will just be a dream. I'll wake up and I'll be in some long forgotten jail cell slowly awaiting my death. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Tatiana somehow twisted it all around and made out that she was the one who wanted Lissa to become queen. She selflessly stood aside for the good of her people... yeah right! Liss made me promise that I would never let on that she was lying... something about being the first step to healing old wounds... But every time I pass her in the halls around court, we glare at each other. I will never forgive her for what she did. It was because of her actions that Hope turned, that I was tortured, that Adrian lost his only sister, but I also knew that if it weren't for her actions, this new life we had would never have happened... but I'll be damned if I would admit it.

So here I am, lying in the incredibly strong, muscular and naked arms of my husband and looking into his deep brown eyes with our growing unborn child between us...

"I love you." I whispered to him.

"I love you more..." he said as he kissed me passionately.


End file.
